See the Light
by skykitty of the night
Summary: Four humans are destined to save the Warrior Clans from an insane phrophet who starts a conspiracy inside the Clans.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first fanfic so don't review too harshly, but please tell me what you think! This is a prologue, an introduction to the main story, if you will.

A bluish-gray cat with the stars in her fur looked down at the glimmering pool at her paws. "I think these are the chosen ones," the blue cat meowed to her companion, a fiery orange tom.

"Are you certain, Bluestar?" the fiery tom asked uncertainly gazing at the figures in the pond below him. "I am," Bluestar meowed confidently. "But…. They're twolegs! They couldn't possibly be able to help the Clans! In fact, they nearly destroyed the Clans when they tore up the old forest!" he exclaimed. "Remember, Firestar, "she mewed calmly, "Looks can be deceiving. For example, I seem to recall a certain orange kittypet joining ThunderClan, and no-cat thought he would be able to become a warrior. But to their astonishment, he was an outstanding warrior, and eventually become the leader of ThunderClan." Firestar's green eyes shone with countless memories. "You're right Bluestar. We should give these twolegs a chance to prove themselves. My only concern now is if the Clans will agree with StarClan's decision." Bluestar looked up at the dark sky, with an ominous look on her face. "They will have to accept it… or the Clans will not survive the deadly times ahead."

A light brown she-cat awoke with a start. _What a weird dream, _she thought.

"What's wrong, Maplepaw?" her brother Falconpaw asked sleepily.

"I had a really weird dream… I think I'm going to ask Sootypelt what it meant," she mewed uncertainly. "You spend way too much time with that medicine cat. You should just go back to sleep. It was just a weird dream," Falconpaw said dismissively. "Okay, I'll just go back to sleep." _Yeah right,_ she thought. She knew the warriors and apprentices thought she spent too much time with ThunderClan's medicine cat for a warrior apprentice. _I'm going anyway,_ she though determinedly. She rose from her nest, and quietly padded out of the apprentice's den. "Sootypelt?" she mewed softly inside the medicine cat den.

"Yes, Maplepaw? What is it?" Sootypelt mewed. _He sounds awfully alert even though it's past moonhigh… I wonder if he had a dream too. _"I had an odd dream," Maplepaw mewed. Sootypelt immediately straightened, and his ears flew up. "What was it about?" the old tom questioned. "Um, there were two cats and they were discussing what was best for the Clans." At this, Sootypelt's eyes widened. "I had the exact same dream." Maplepaw jerked back in surprise. "What does it mean?" she asked. "I think… StarClan sent you a message. You are destined to become a medicine cat. "What! Me!" the young she-cat exclaimed. "Do you wish to? I mean, do you want to give up your warrior training, and become a healer instead of a fighter?" Sootypelt inquired. Maplepaw sat silently for an hour, contemplating this new decision she must make. Content to wait, Sootypelt went over to his herb stores and began to sort comfrey from dock leaves.

Maplepaw awoke, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She stretched, wondering why she was at the mouth of the medicine cat den. With sudden clairvoyance, she remembered her choice. As she looked up at the morning sun, a maple leaf fell from one of the nearby trees and landed inside the den. She suddenly knew what StarClan was trying to tell her. "Sootypelt?"she meowed. "Yes, Maplepaw? Have you made your decision?" he said hastily, jerked out of sleep by the apprentice's voice. "I have. I will become the next ThunderClan medicine cat," she asserted. "Excellent. I will go tell Redstar your decision." As the puffy gray-black tom padded towards the leader's den, Maplepaw's head started to spin. "Oh, what now?" she moaned. An ominous voice whispered in her ear, "_The five of the night shall extinguish the white light_." "What? What do you mean? Please tell me!" she meowed urgently to no-cat. With no response, she came to only one conclusion. _I just got my first prophecy from StarClan_.

Without further ado, skykitty of the night presents: See the Light. On with the show!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter has a lot of dialogue, so be ready, it's just to give the characters some personality. The two chapters may seem unrelated at first, so don't be alarmed! On with the show!

Twolegplace

"Gosh, that was a great movie!" Kate said cheerfully.

"Yeah, especially when…" Carly's voice trailed off, not finishing her sentence. "What is it, Carly? Which part did you like?" Kate prompted. Carly gave no response to what she just said. "What's wrong?" Wondering what was up with her friend, she turned. And what she saw horrified her. Across the street from the theatre, there was a store with TVs in the windows, which were always tuned in to the news. A news anchor was talking about the magnitude level 8 earthquake in a city only about three hours' drive away. _A magnitude eight! Why haven't we felt any shockwaves yet? _She wondered, disturbed.

The earth trembled beneath her feet. _Speak of the devil_, she thought. "We need to get away from street lamps. They could fall on us." Carly nodded. Being from California, they were used to earthquakes, but not of this caliber. Carly pointed to the door way of the store. Kate nodded, and they sprinted towards it, the earth's quaking becoming more and more extreme. They were huddled in the doorway, clutching each other for dear life, staring in horror at the road next to them. The pavement cracked, and a great rift opened in the cement. Pieces of plaster and brick fell around them. The shaking grew more and more extreme until Kate felt like her bones would rattle inside her for the rest of her life. _If I even live that long_, she realized with horror. Something very solid hit her on the back of the head. She felt herself black out, with Carly screaming in the background.

Kate awoke to feel someone shaking her. As her vision swam into focus, she saw Carly's familiar curly red hair, and visibly relaxed. She then remembered the earthquake. She forced herself to sit up, and pushed the hands away. "Kate! Are you okay?" Carly cried. "What happened?" she moaned. "You got hit in the back of the head with a piece of plaster." "That would probably explain the massive lump throbbing at the back of my head," she said, wincing. "Yeah, it looks pretty nasty. But Dylan said you'd be fine." "Wait, who's Dylan? Dang it, did I get amnesia?" Kate asked, exasperated. She heard a chuckle from behind her. She whirled around, and then clutched her head, flinching at the pain. "I would assume that you're Dylan," she said through gritted teeth.

"Yup, that's me," the guy, apparently named Dylan said cheerfully. "You should try not to move to quickly, it'll hurt your head." "Yeah, already figured that out. Anyway, who died and made you doctor?" Kate asked sarcastically. "Well, I'm not a real doctor, but I know first-aid so I was able to bandage you up," he said, oblivious to Kate's sarcasm. "Well, thanks, I guess." "No problem, happy to help," he happily said. Now that her head wasn't swimming with pain, she realized that Dylan looked kind of familiar. Brown hair with green eyes, tanned skin… her eyes lit up, realizing who he was. "LIGHT BULB!" she yelled. Carly and Dylan started. "What? Did you just say light bulb?" Dylan asked. "Yes, yes she did," Carly stated dryly. "I mean, I remembered who you are. You're one of the popular kids at school. You're a sophomore, right?" Kate questioned. Being freshmen at the local high school, Carly and Kate sort of idolized the older kids. "Yeah, I'm a sophomore." Kate's stomach suddenly gave a massive growl. She laughed as Carly said, "I think somebody's hungry!" "That's an understatement!" Kate smiled. "Well, Jack should be back with food soon," Dylan stated, ignoring their banter. "Who's Jack? And where is he getting food? I sort of doubt that Safeway is open after _that_ massive earthquake," Kate mused.

"Well, I'm Jack, and no, Safeway _wasn't _open," yet another new voice said. Instinctively, Kate spun around, and dropped to the ground whining about the pain and who she would never learn. "Who's the spaz?" Jack asked cheekily. "For your information, this _spaz_ got hit in the head with plaster during the quake," she snapped. "That's Kate, and this is Carly," Dylan said. Carly gave a little wave, before turning to her whining friend. "C'mon, Kate, don't be rude to the guy who was nice enough to go get us food." Kate immediately stopped complaining and sat up. After handing out the food, everyone was eating quietly except for Kate who said, "Where are we, anyway?" "We're behind that little café down the street from the TV store. After you passed out, the quaking stopped, and I dragged you here, looking for help, until I found Dylan and Jack," Carly replied. Another though occurred to Kate, and she immediately voiced it. "How are we going to get home?" Everyone was silent, contemplating this new query. "Our parents will be so worried, they won't know if we're okay," Carly murmured. "Forget that, we don't even know if _they're _okay!" Kate yelled.

"We need to get back," Carly stated. "Why are you guys so calm?!" Kate accused Jack and Dylan. "Don't care enough about your poor parents? Are you tough little boys? What if-""SHUT UP!" Jack yelled. "Our parents know where we are, and they know that we're fine," Dylan assured them. "How?" Carly asked. "A little invention called a _cell phone_," Jack said sarcastically. "Ooohhhh…" the girls said face-palming. "Can we use yours?" Carly asked. "Ours were broken during the quake." "Mine's out of battery," Jack unhelpfully stated. "Mine only has a little juice left, but you can use it," Dylan generously offered. "Thanks!" Each girl called their parents and told them they were fine and on their way home. Immediately after, Dylan's phone died. "Shoot," Dylan said. The others glumly nodded. Now not only were they stranded, but they had no way to contact anyone else in case of more trouble. Now they had to decide how to get to their respective homes. "We obviously can't go over the rift," Jack said. "How about we go around?" Dylan stated. "But what if the divide goes on forever? What if- hey guys, wait for me?" Carly worried, before noticing everyone was already trudging toward the trees ahead.

To everyone's dismay, they had to go pretty deep into the surrounding country-side. Soon, they were hidden on both sides by numerous trees and endless shrubbery. Eventually, the group realized they would have to spend the night in the woods. Reluctantly, the humans found a clearing and were settling down for the night. Kate was struggling to doze off like everyone else when she saw a weird light. Half awake, she got up and staggered towards the light. To her surprise, the light kept moving through the undergrowth. She began to run, following it and tripping over bushes and snapping twigs as she dashed across the clearing. This, unsurprisingly, awoke the others. "Kate? What are you doing?" Carly asked. Receiving no response, she looked at Dylan and Jack and shrugged. "Let's follow her!" Jack proposed, bounding after Kate. Not having any better ideas, Carly and Dylan followed.

Kate abruptly stopped when the light froze in the middle of a huge clearing with four massive oak trees on each corner. To everyone's astonishment, beams of light shone down from the stars, turning Kate's blond-brown hair shining silver. Her blue eyes opened wide as lights beamed onto the others. They watched as Jack seemed to shrink down, growing another pair of legs, fur sprouting all over his body, leaving only his ice-blue eyes the same. The others soon realized that they were undergoing the same transformation. After the process was completed, they looked at each other, eyes as big as saucers. During the metamorphosis, they had been too shocked to say a word. Now Kate opened her mouth and said weakly, "We turned into cats."


	3. Chapter 3

After they had all accepted the fact that they were all cats now, they had to figure out what to do next. They came to the conclusion that they had to get out of there. "We need to leave, before the lights turn us into something weirder than cats… like a hippo," Kate said. "Are you serious? We've been turned into freaking _cats_, and all you can think of is that we need to leave before we get turned into _hippos_!" Jack exploded. "All that I know is that beams of light came from the sky and we randomly turned into cats," Kate stated. "I think that this is just some weird dream we all had, and we should just go to sleep, and it'll all go away," Dylan assured them. Desperate for any rational explanation, the former humans curled up to sleep, with the hopes that everything would be normal again the next morning.

Kate woke up and stretched luxuriously. With a jolt, she recalled the events of the previous day. "Yup, we're still cats guys," she observed. Her companions awoke, and were also disappointed by the results of Dylan's hypothesis. In the light of day, Kate realized this place seemed oddly familiar. Four giant oaks… beams of light came from the stars… we turned into cats… "Hey, has anybody else read the Warriors series?" she inquired. Jack's head jerked up. "I have… Do you think that's where we are? The Warriors world?" the tom asked. Carly and Dylan got up and wandered towards them, desperate for leads on their odd situation. "I think we are in the Warriors world…"Kate murmured. "If so, should we try to find the Clans?" "Maybe… let's just calm down. Marvel in the fact that we have turned into cats. Maybe we'll have some sort of cat instinct that tells us if large groups of our kind are nearby," Kate suggested. Speaking of which, she didn't even know what she looked like as a cat. She padded over to a nearby puddle and glanced down. With her outstanding new vision, she could see the others looking at themselves and discovering new abilities they possessed. She looked back at her puddle. She had dark brown paws, muzzle and ears with a golden-brown coat, much like her human hair. She also noticed that she had large blue eyes, same as her human form, which were the exact shade of the sky. She heard a weird thundering noise, causing her new ears to twitch. Startled, she looked up, and saw that was already night. They had been so entranced by their new bodies, an entire day had passed.

"Does anyone else hear that thundering noise?" she asked the group. "Yeah.. it sounds like… a bunch of creatures running towards us," Dylan commented. Alarmed, Kate and Jack's blue eyes met. "Do you think it could be a Gathering?" Kate asked. "It's definitely a possibility," Jack said nervously. "What's a Gathering?" Carly asked. "It's when all four Clans come together in peace… but it won't be peaceful if they see four strange cats in their sacred meeting place," Kate said looking around. "Quick! Hide behind that tree!" As the group sprinted towards their hiding place, they tripped and stumbled, trying to get used to their new limbs. The group hid behind the tree just in time. They could hear innumerable amounts of cats streaming into the Clearing. The lower trunk of the tree shook as the new cats turned to each other in horror, realizing the Clan leaders were jumping into the tree and would _see them at any minute_.

They heard a dignified she-cat speaking quietly to another cat, "Do you see that bright red tail behind the Sacred Tree? I'm sure that Thistlestar is finally going to try to assassinate me!" the paranoid she-cat exclaimed. The human-turned-cats glanced to their left, and saw that Carly's new fluffy red tail was peeking out from behind the massive oak tree. "Oh no, they'll definitely see us now," Dylan moaned. "Maybe only that paranoid she-cat saw, I'll take a look around and check if any other cats can see it," Kate mewed. As she walked around the huge tree trunk, she turned and hissed quietly, "For God's sake, pull your tail in!" Carly, if she hadn't had a fluffy red coat, would surely have been blushing fiercely in embarrassment. Kate used her new claws to climb onto the first branch of the tree. _Oh, please don't let me fall_. And then the branch she was standing on broke. _Aw, nuts._

Jack, Carly, and Dylan watched with horror as she tumbled though the branches, before landing with an undignified thump. As the dust cleared, Kate looked up to see dozens of cats staring at her in astonishment. _Maybe I can weasel my way out of this, maybe they'll be too shell-shocked to do anything, she thought. _No such luck. Even as the nervous cats watched, the Clans' eyes narrowed, ears lay flat against heads, and snarls came from the now menacing cats in front of her. "Um, hi guys," Kate said anxiously, "this is all just a big misunderstanding-"

"Get her!" the Clans yowled as one.

"RUN RUN RUN!" Kate yelled turning and pelting towards the forest, furious Clan cats on all sides.


	4. Chapter 4

Before Kate could take more than two steps, the warriors were on top of her. Snarling, they asked her so many questions, it was impossible to differentiate one from the other. Kate simply lay crouched in the midst of them, quivering in fear. Eventually, the leaders had apparently had enough.

"SILENCE!" bellowed a muscular gray and white tom with black markings. Every single cat immediately ceased questioning the outsider. _This cat has so much authority_ _if he can silence all of these massive warriors with one word_, Kate marveled. _He must be a leader. _But to her surprise, the powerful tom simply announced: "Redstar wants to speak with the outsider." An enormous reddish brown tom stepped out of the crowd. He was pure muscle, rippling as he stalked towards the terrified Kate. _Now that's a leader. _Behind the tree the hidden cats stared in awe. "What's going to happen to her? Will she be hurt?" Carly fretted. "You better shut up or all of us will be in trouble," Jack muttered darkly. Dylan simply stared wide-eyed. All communication stopped as the red tom stopped right in front of Kate. She stared at the ground, suddenly very afraid.

"What's a little kittypet doing out in the forest?" the tom asked. Thinking quickly, Kate decided to go with the leader's assumption. She couldn't exactly say that she had been transformed into a cat, now could she? "I was separated from my owners, sir," Kate said timidly. "Stupid kittypet," "Let's teach her a lesson!" Get out of here!" jeered the crowd. The leader simply waited until the jeers died down before proceeding with the questioning. "That still doesn't explain why you are so far from Twolegplace," he said in a deep, rumbly voice. Kate decided to tell part of the truth. After all, the best lies have part of the truth inside, right? "I was wandering by the edge when the earthquake happened." "Lies!" the warriors yowled. "Silence," he rumbled, turning back to the she-cat with an odd look on his face. Not being familiar with cat emotions yet, Kate didn't realize the danger she was walking into. "What earthquake do you speak of? There has not been one for several months," he remarked. "Are you kidding!?" Kate yelled incredulously. "There was a huge one in town, I mean, Twolegplace, not five hours ago!" Every cat looked at Kate in shock. This timid she-cat was now screaming at a _leader_ about a made-up natural disaster!

"_Never_ speak that way to Redstar," the gray tom growled. The red tom, apparently Redstar, whispered in the cat's ear. She could only catch the words relax and Eaglewing. _So the gray tom with black markings on his face is Eaglewing._ She was startled out of her thoughts by Redstar continuing to speak to her. "So, little kittypet, why do you pretend there has been a quake recently?" "Because there _was _one, in Twolegplace. I was there." "Hmm… I sort of doubt a kittypet could survive an earthquake that extreme," Eaglewing chimed in. This set of the crowd once again. _Oh boy, there they go again. _"Shut up!" she bellowed, fed up. "I'm sorry for yelling, but I'm not lying. I would prefer to speak without being interrupted and being accused of lying every five seconds. As for the quake, I have proof that it happened." "What proof?" Redstar asked. He seemed genuinely curious about her story. "A massive rift was created; one that no-cat can leap across. That is why I was in your territory; I was trying to find a way around the gap." Redstar was silent, contemplating her story. "Okay. I believe you." Yowls of protest broke out.

"Ravenstar, do you believe this nonsense? Only yellow-bellied ThunderClan would!" an angry tom spit. The paranoid black she-cat from the tree, Ravenstar, studied Kate carefully.

"I believe this cat's story. After all, if this proof was proven false, it would be too big to cover up." She turned to the remaining two cats. "Thistlestar, Lilystar, what are your opinions?" Ravenstar asked. The pretty gold she-cat stepped forward.

"I believe this cat. Her eyes can speak nothing but the truth," Lilystar said. Kate unwillingly winced, and thought, _So far from the truth it's not even funny._ The prickly dark gray tom stalked up.

"I believe this kittypet about the quake, but I believe that she is lying about something. I saw how she flinched when Lilystar said she could tell nothing but the truth," Thistlestar said accusingly. Kate saw Lilystar give a sly smile. _She set me up!_ Kate thought indignantly. Ravenstar's yellow eyes widened. "I remember feeling as if many eyes were watching me from behind the tree. I bet the quake drove all the kittypets to the forest and they're trying to take over!" "Did any other kittypets come with you?" Redstar asked. _Well, the tables have certainly turned,_ Kate thought. "Okay, you caught me, I wasn't lying about the quake, but I have come to take over the forest," Kate mewed in fake submission.

"WHAT?!" came Carly's voice from behind the tree. The warriors were looking around in confusion for the speaker. Dylan slapped his tail over Carly's mouth. Jack was holding his breath. Kate quickly covered for them. "WHAT?! You don't believe me! Bow down to me, your supreme overlord!" Kate gave an evil cackle. "Take her prisoner!" yowled the large gray cat. Eaglewing pinned her down, making sure she couldn't run away. _At least the others will get away._

"No! Kate!" Dylan yelled. "We'll save you!" Carly added, running out of their hiding place. "Run, you idiots!" Jack yelled from behind them, pushing them towards the forest. He glanced back at Kate, giving her a grateful look. "She didn't sacrifice herself so you could get captured too! GO!" They took off toward the trees. In the confusion, Kate was able to wrench Eaglewing off of her, and took off across the clearing. "The prisoner is escaping!" Thistlestar yowled. "Get her, WindClan!" In no time, the speedy WindClan warriors had captured all of them.

"Do we kill them now, Ravenstar?" the big gray cat asked. "Yes, we will, Fogpelt," Ravenstar replied. "No wait," Redstar interrupted. He looked at the terrified "kittypets". "They are defenseless, and they acted nobly." "Nobly?!" the crowd exclaimed. "Yes," Redstar said matter-of-factly. "The she-cat was willing to sacrifice herself for her allies, and they in turn were willing to face a crowd of furious warriors to save their friend." Mutters of sullen agreement were heard throughout the crowd. "I think…. They should become warriors." "WHAT!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to all the kind reviewers! Y'all made me tear up, I wasn't sure if anyone would like my writing style! **

**To Fantasy Writer45678: Thanks for all the tips! I know that warriors call months moons, it just slipped my mind XD, thanks though! I will definitely go back and edit that! On with the show!**

"You think they should be warriors?!"

"You think _we _should be warriors?!" Amidst the confusion, Thistlestar was slowly nodding his head.

"I think they should be warriors."

"We need a three-fourths majority vote," Redstar said, turning to the female Clan leaders.

"I suppose Redstar has a valid point," Ravenstar agreed, while Lilystar remained silent. "That's the majority in favor," Redstar said approvingly. "You will become warriors." The four looked at each other in shock.

"Um, okay," Jack said, speaking for all of them.

"Which Clan will they belong to?" Eaglewing asked.

"Not River Clan", Lilystar said immediately, glaring at Kate. "Nor Wind Clan, they don't run fast enough," Thistlestar chimed in. Flicking her tail in annoyance, (she was catching on fast to the mannerisms of cats) Kate stepped to the front of the group.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we want to join Thunder Clan," she said clearly. Behind her, the others nodded in agreement. Redstar readily agreed. "Come along then. We will see if you can truly become loyal and courageous warriors of Thunder Clan." He turned and trotted out of the clearing, the former humans hard on his heels. A portion of the cats quickly followed Redstar into the forest.

Panting heavily, trying to keep up with the leader's pace, Kate and Jack explained the Warriors series to Carly and Dylan.

"Oh, so that's why..." Dylan didn't finish his sentence. The cats were standing on the edge of a cliff, and below them, a clearing surrounded by soaring stones and massive trees. Eaglewing, chuckling at their expressions in spite of himself, instructed them to follow him down the path. They half-tumbled half-trotted down the trail, landing with undignified thumps at the bottom of the path. Redstar hopped up on the large rock in the middle of the clearing, calling: "All cats who are old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Even more cats streamed from various dens, old and young, looking at the new cats with unchecked curiosity. Redstar quickly announced what happened at the Gathering, and how these four were becoming apprentices of Thunder Clan. They grudgingly agreed with their leader as they went back to their dens, now purposely ignoring the newcomers. Eaglewing called a young gray tom with a white muzzle and black markings on his pelt over.

"Falconpaw, I want you to show these cats to the apprentice den. Get them situated; take them for a tour until the naming ceremony." The young apprentice reluctantly agreed, only his respect for the deputy stopping him from protesting. A young she-cat obviously didn't have the same reservations.

"Redstar must be really desperate for new apprentices if he took in _that_ sorry bunch," she remarked.

"Yeah, I bet he just took them so they could do the menial tasks so we could become warriors faster," a dark brown tom with amber eyes added. "I certainly won't be talking to them," the calico she-cat said. "Their stupid will rub off on us."

At this, Kate and Jack's pelts bristled with anger. _Those stupid apprentices! They need to shut up! _Kate was so angry; steam was practically coming out of her ears. She couldn't stand being insulted and having to sit there, pretending not to hear what they said. She reminded herself that she had to keep her cool. "They all look really stupid, but that fluffy red one looks the worst. I bet she'll be kicked out of the Clan," the she-cat said.

Hearing that last remark, the last of Kate's logic and reason went out the window. Whirling, she yelled at the she-cat, "Fine, insult me, but leave my best friend out of it!" "Oh look, it talks, Moonpaw," the brown tom snickered. "SHUT UP!" Kate yowled. "Whatcha gonna do kitty? You gonna…" the tom's words were cut off as Kate lunged at him, bowling him over. Promptly, Moonpaw sprang into the battle, using their higher numbers to their advantage.

"Oh no you don't!" Jack yowled, intercepting Moonpaw in midair. "Let's make this a fair fight!"

"You guys stop it," Dylan said, trying to be the peace-maker, until the brown tom bit him on the paw. He yelled with pain, and threw himself into the brawl. Carly was hesitant to join the fight, until she saw the she-cat biting Kate on the tail.

"No!" she yelled, plunging into battle as well. The clearing was filled with snarling and fighting young cats.

"STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!" Redstar bellowed, coming out of his den. Other cats had appeared, drawn to the noise. The cats stopped fighting; freezing in the exact position they'd been battling in. It would have been humorous if not for their current situation. While Redstar was yelling at them for attacking their Clan mates, Eaglewing was nodding to himself, looking at the new cats. "I don't know if you're fit for Clan life," he said regretfully to the new cats. "No, Redstar! Please, we'll behave better," the former cats pleaded.

Eaglewing stepped to his leader. "I think they should become part of the Clan." Every cat in the camp turned to him. "They have shown they have pride, bravery, and that they will defend their friends," he said looking at Kate. "Even if it means going up against trained apprentices soon to become warriors." Turning to Jack he said "They have also proven they are fair." "They have all the qualities to become fantastic warriors," he finished. The new cats smiled gratefully at the ThunderClan deputy. Redstar nodded in agreement. "We will have the apprentice ceremony at once then," he said. The cats looked at each other excitedly. The leader leaped onto the Highrock, calling the Clan together.

"These four kittypets have proven they have the right to train to become warriors. They will have new names, new attitudes, new lives." He paused. "And a new destiny. Fluffy red she-cat, come up." Kate nudged Carly into place. "Your new name will be Rubypaw, for your fluffy red coat. Rosethorn." A brown, white, an orange calico with a grouchy expression stepped up. "You will be mentor to Rubypaw." Hesitantly, Rubypaw touched her nose to Rosethorn. _Did I just see a smile from that rude she-cat? _She wondered. But the next cat was already being called up. "Silver tom with the ice-blue eyes." Jack stepped up. "You will be named Frostpaw, for the silvery coat you possess. Lynxtooth, you will be Frostpaw's mentor." A massive menacing brown tom with white paws came forward, but Frostpaw bravely stood his ground, greeting his mentor. "Golden brown she-cat with the blue eyes," he called. _Omygosh, that's me_! Kate thought excitedly. She dashed forward. "You will be known as Skypaw because your eyes are the same blue as the sky on a summer day," he said poetically. "Your mentor will be Icemelt." A pure white she-cat slunk forward, slender and powerful. _Wow. _ She was jolted out of her awe by Redstar calling up Dylan. "Big golden tom, you will be known as Lionpaw for your golden fur and your lion's mane," he said indicating Lionpaw's messed-up neck fur. Chuckles came from the crowd. "Lionpaw's mentor will be…" A big black tom with a white spot on his forehead walked up.

"I, Darkmoon, will mentor Lionpaw." Exclamations came from the crowd. "Darkmoon, you already have Bearpaw as an apprentice!" a she-cat said, indicating the brown tom they'd tussled with. "I've been meaning to speak with Redstar about this matter, so now's a good of a time as ever, I suppose. Bearpaw, come forward." Bearpaw came forward looking bewildered. In spite of herself, Skypaw felt a shred of pity for the tom. "Bearpaw, I believe that Wolfstep will be a better mentor for you than me," he said, indicating a handsome silver and black tom. "We've discussed this matter, and he has agreed to take you as his apprentice. Is this acceptable for you, Redstar?" Darkmoon asked. Looking surprised, Redstar answered that it was fine with him if Bearpaw was okay with it. "Yeah, it's fine. I'd rather have a mentor who _wants _me," Bearpaw spat, moving to sit next to Wolfstep. "In that case, Darkmoon, you can have Lionpaw as an apprentice," Redstar stated. Darkmoon stoically nodded at Lionpaw. Lionpaw, confused, simply gave a crooked half-smile to his new mentor. The cats dispersed, the ceremony was over.

"I can't believe that Redstar gave two kittypets the best warrior, Darkmoon, and the best hunter, Icemelt, as mentors!" a yellow and white she-cat exclaimed. _I have the best hunter in the Clan as my mentor? Hooray! _ The apprentice from before, Falconpaw, appeared in front of her.

"I'll show you where the apprentices sleep," he said. Waving her tail to signal the others, they followed Falconpaw to a den with many empty nests inside. "Take your pick," he said. Glancing outside, Skypaw realized that it was already midnight, or moonhigh as the warriors would say. The new apprentices settled down together, and everyone had dozed off except Skypaw. To her dismay, Moonpaw and Bearpaw, the two bullies, were asleep on the opposite side of the den. She was beginning to fall asleep when Falconpaw whispered, "Nice fight by the way, Skypaw." "Thanks," Skypaw replied, feeling very pleased with the day's events. She fell asleep thinking _Skypaw…. It has a nice ring to it… almost better than Kate._

A light brown she-cat looked in the opening of the den. She whispered softly, "_The five of the night will extinguish the white light._" As the new apprentices twitched in their sleep, the she-cat wondered, _are these four of the five that will rid us of all hope? Will they bring about the downfall of the Clans?_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Neko-Rainbow: First of all, thanks! I know that the former humans weren't able to introduce themselves to the warriors, but the warriors didn't care enough about the humans to let them introduce themselves, they only wanted to know why there were strange cats on their territory. Could you clarify what you mean with Wind Clan being angry?**

**Fantasy writer45678: I was wondering who the first to answer that question might be! Thanks for the tip! I didn't notice the error with the "former cats" thing… I'll have to fix that! **

**leCat101: Yeah, go Skypaw! (Gives Skypaw plushy) On with the show!**

"Get up you lazy sack of fluff," was how Skypaw was awoken on her first day in Thunder Clan.

"Good morning to you to, Bearpaw," she grumbled. "Believe me, it's not a good morning if you're here. I only came to say that the mentors are waiting for you. The rest of us can't train if you aren't there," he meowed rudely. Skypaw made what would have been a very rude gesture with her paw, had she been a human. _Wait. Mentors! Hooray! _She trotted out of the den with a skip in her step towards where she saw the mentors had gathered when…. She promptly tripped over a mouse and fell on her face. _Of course._ She looked up to see Jack, no, _Frostpaw_, laughing at her stumble. "It wasn't that funny," she mumbled.

"No, it wasn't funny. It was hilarious! You better eat that mouse now, nobody else will eat it now," he laughed. "Wise guy," she muttered, settling herself next to him with the mouse. "Wait…I have to eat a mouse?" "Well, you are a cat now," Frostpaw reminded her. "Yeah, but… Did you eat one?" "Yeah, a mouse _and_ a thrush!" he said, laughing when she hit the top of his head with her paw. "I guess that I'll try it if you survived," she mewed, leaning forward to take a bite. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. She didn't speak, just stood there. "What's wrong? Was it poisoned?" Frostpaw wondered, inspecting the mouse. "No. It was… the best thing I've ever tasted! The delectable meaty flavors… oh I won't ever be able to eat human food again!" she sang, gobbling down the rest of her meal. He nudged her. "Look, they're calling the apprentices over." The former humans sprang up and dashed over to the growing group of cats.

"Icemelt, Rosethorn, Lynxtooth, Darkmoon, I trust that you will introduce the new apprentices to the territory," Eaglewing meowed.

"Yes, I believe that Icemelt and I are taking our apprentices together," Darkmoon said. Skypaw and Lionpaw looked at each other gleefully.

"Uh oh, they got the crazy group," Frostpaw mewed cheekily. As they pretended to glare daggers at him, they were called by Darkmoon. "Enough, it's time to go!"

"This is the Thunderpath," Icemelt mewed. "A what?" Lionpaw asked, looking confused. Skypaw leaned over and hissed in his ear, "It's what they call a road." "Ooohhhh…" he commented, eyes lighting up with understanding. "Looks like we did get the dumb ones, Darkmoon," Icemelt murmured. Outraged, Skypaw looked at Lionpaw. He simply shrugged and said that nobody's perfect. _I am many things, but I am not dumb! _Skypaw raged in her head. _Maybe she'll be a cruddy mentor after all._ Shaking her head to clear it of distracting thoughts, she paid special attention to the borders with the other Clans. _I wonder if I'll have to battle like the warriors in the books,_ she mused. "Look, a Shadow Clan patrol," Icemelt commented. "They're awfully close to the border, and Fogpelt, the deputy, is with them," Darkmoon mewed softly. "Don't speak to them, you two," Icemelt said, directing her words at the apprentices.

"Ah, look Nightpaw, there are the kittypet warriors," Fogpelt sneered.

"Watch out, they might defeat you with their idiocy," the apprentice's mentor commented. Skypaw flattened her ears, full of shame. "That was uncalled for, Hawkeyes," Icemelt said to the apprentice's mentor, a brown tom. "It was uncalled for to invite _kittypets_ to join Thunder Clan," Fogpelt jeered. Skypaw couldn't stand it anymore. Stepping to the front, she said sassily, "Please, if you're going to insult us, do it to our faces. The _stupid _kittypets have ears too you know… and claws." The black apprentice's yellow eyes widened.

"No, take it back, don't make him angry," he hissed. "No, Nightpaw, don't stop her from speaking her mind," he hissed dangerously. "My apprentice meant no harm..." Icemelt was cut off by Skypaw shoving her face up to Fogpelt's and hissing, "No, I did mean harm. They shouldn't be cruel about kittypets becoming warriors." In a calmer tone, she continued. "If I remember correctly there was once a fiery orange tom, a kittypet, who wanted to join Thunder Clan. This _kittypet_ became Firestar, one of the best leaders and bravest and most loyal warriors in history. I think you should just leave now, and pretend like you care at least a bit about how a _kittypet_ saved the Clans several times over." As she finished her speech, the Clan cats seemed surprised that she knew so much about Clan history.

"You can't" Hawkeyes was interrupted by Fogpelt. "Fine, we'll leave. Well met, kitty cat," he said, turning to leave, glimmers of respect in his eyes.

As soon as the Shadow Clan warriors were out of ear-shot, Icemelt whirled on her apprentice. "You're even stupider than I thought, yelling at the Shadow Clan deputy of all cats!" the warrior yowled. "I thought it was very brave," Lionpaw commented. "Yes, it was brave, but it was insanely, incredibly stupid!" the white cat yelled, loud enough for birds to fly out of the nearby trees. "No," Skypaw mewed. "Contrary to popular belief, I am actually quite intelligent. I realize threatening Clan cats isn't a good idea, but Fogpelt seems like the kind of cat who needs to see a show of strength before backing of. Obviously, I was correct, as he left without a fight." Darkmoon was nodding. "I believe it was the smart thing to do," he rumbled. "Lionpaw and I will be at the sandy hollow practicing battle moves."

"Please, Icemelt, teach me. I can see that you think I'm stupid, that I'm inferior to the other apprentices, but will you give me a chance?" Icemelt turned to Skypaw, eyes twinkling. "I never thought you were stupid or submissive. I wanted to see if you truly wanted to learn, and if you would stand up for yourself. You have proved yourself. I will teach you to the best of my abilities." Looking up at the sky, the she-cats saw that the sun was starting to go down. "I think we will start our real training tomorrow, we will need our remaining time to trek back to camp."

At the mouth of the camp, Icemelt spoke once more to Skypaw. "As you know, I am the best hunter in Thunder Clan. But I am a rather young warrior myself, and you are my first apprentice. You and I both have something to prove." With those final words, Icemelt slipped into the camp. Smiling to herself, Skypaw trotted up to her friends gathered around a pile of fresh-kill from the big pile. "What did you do today, Skypaw?" Rubypaw mewed. Grinning, Skypaw answered, "Oh, nothing special." Grabbing a piece of prey, she fell asleep to the chatter of her friends, ready to start her warrior training-for real this time.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hollyflame: I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so much! I try to update once a day!**

**Guest: Glad you like it!**

**LeCat101: Skypaw luvs you! Not to mention you were my first reviewer! Thanks XD! This is a REALLY long chapter, so on with the show!**

The first morning of her _real_ training, Skypaw awoke to beams of sunlight streaming in through the branches of the den. _Way more pleasant than Bearpaw's way of waking me up._ She padded out of the den, heading towards Lionpaw, who seemed nervous for some reason.

"What's up y'all?" she inquired.

"I'm a bit nervous," Lionpaw replied. "I didn't notice," Skypaw said sarcastically. "You didn't? Whew, that's good," he said, completely missing her sarcasm. "Why are you so anxious?" "Darkmoon already wants to assess my battling skills." "What! But he can't have taught you more than a couple of moves yet!" "Yeah, he wants to see my "resourcefulness" in battle. _Sounds like how Icemelt tested me yesterday._ "I'm sure you'll do fine. You're big and strong, just do your best. He wanted you as an apprentice, remember. He must have seen potential in you."

"Lionpaw! It's time for your assessment!" Darkmoon called from across the camp. "Coming, Darkmoon," Lionpaw shouted back, giving her a look. She gave him a smile and padded over to her own mentor. "Are we going hunting? Are we patrolling for intruders?" she asked Icemelt excitedly.

"No, first we're going to the training hollow." "But Lionpaw's having his battle test." "Yes, we're watching. Pay close attention to the battle moves, we'll be using them for a lesson later," she replied mysteriously, dashing out of camp. _Why can't she ever just tell me what we're going to do? _She wondered, running after her disappearing teacher.

Lionpaw and Darkmoon faced each other in the sandy hollow. "You will be testing yourself against me," he rumbled. Skypaw's eyes widened, and leaned over to Icemelt. "Won't Lionpaw get hurt?" "No, they'll be fighting with sheathed claws," the pure whit she-cat replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Falconpaw and Eaglewing, his mentor arrive in the hollow to watch. She saw Lionpaw swallow at the thought of being tested in front of so many. "Now is not the time for nerves," Darkmoon mewed. "You must dispel all fear so that you can concentrate on the battle. Don't worry about the deputy watching, or any other cat here. You must focus only on me. Whoever pins the other down first for three seconds wins. Let the battle begin!" he cried.

Circling each other, Skypaw watched, waiting for someone to make the first move. Darkmoon lunged first, snapping at Lionpaw's shoulder. The gold apprentice twisted away, looking surprised. The warrior used this time to pounce on the younger tom and pin him, but he rolled away just in time. "Lionpaw, use your strength! You're built to be an offensive fighter, not a dodger!" Darkmoon roared. Lionpaw jumped out of the way, twisting into the air. With a start, Skypaw realized his pupil's had stretched with concentration, they nearly took up his entire eyes! He landed on his mentor's back, ready to pin him down… and then was shaken off with ease two seconds later. "Do you need an incentive to fight?" Darkmoon asked. He glanced at Skypaw and she immediately knew what was about to happen. _Oh crud._ She turned to run away, but Darkmoon had already grabbed her scruff, holding her captive in his jaws. She felt like a tiny kit compared to him, and Skypaw was not a small cat.

"What're you doing?" Lionpaw asked. "I am an enemy warrior. I have captured this apprentice, and am going to hold her for ransom… or kill her," Darkmoon meowed ominously. _Good acting,_ Skypaw thought, trembling. "Let go of her!" Lionpaw said. "I'll battle you properly now." "No, I don't think you will," Darkmoon mused. "Fine then." A change seemed to come over Lionpaw. He seemed to get bigger; his pupils widened even further, his ears flattened. He stalked towards his mentor, growling in a most menacing way. He roared, just like his namesake, and threw himself at his mentor. Darkmoon quickly dropped Skypaw, and she scampered back to Icemelt's side, but Lionpaw didn't notice, he was in the zone. The two toms were fighting fiercely, Lionpaw seemed like he was a full warrior, with the power and might he suddenly possessed. The mentor had experience _and_ strength on his side, so Lionpaw did lose the fight.

"Good battling, Lionpaw," Eaglewing called from the sidelines. "Indeed, you have definitely passed your test. I think you will be a great warrior one day," Darkmoon approved. Lionpaw blinked and flushed at the praise. "Nice job," Skypaw purred, poking him with her tail. "It's like you were born to fight," she commented. "It just felt so natural." Icemelt waved her tail, calling her apprentice over. "Looks like it's my turn to train. Gotta run, _warrior_," she teased.

"All right Skypaw. I am going to teach you how to do the hunter's crouch." Icemelt crouched on the ground, tail held carefully of the ground, and silently glided over the ground. "Now you try," the huntress mewed. "Okay," the apprentice meowed; suddenly afraid she wouldn't be able to do it. She crouched like Icemelt had… or so she thought. Icemelt had several critiques about her posture, technique, blah blah blah blah… Until her hunter's crouch was finally approved, when night was nearly upon them. "Excellent. Your technique is nearly perfect. It would have been acceptable for most mentors several hours ago though," Icemelt commented. "WHAT!?" the golden-brown she-cat screeched. "I could have stopped several hours ago!?" "Yes, but _I _am your mentor, and I am one of the best hunters in this forest, and thus you must be excellent as well. Try to catch something; I'll leave you alone for a few minutes." Icemelt turned and headed for a stream several paces to the east. Skypaw glanced around, and spotted a squirrel. She crouched and pounced… and she missed. The squirrel slipped out of her grasp by a hair. _Shoot, I have to try harder. _She heard a muffled thump and a curse. She peered around a tree, and saw Falconpaw he pounded towards a mouse, and he missed epically. _Gosh, I'm way better than him, and he's at least a whole moon older than me. I guess Icemelt's tips really do work; I just have to use them properly. _Determined to hunt better, Skypaw disappeared back into the undergrowth, following the scent of another mouse.

_Alright, steady now, don't let it catch your scent._ She leaped, and to her astonishment she realized that she'd caught it! "Hooray!" she yelled out loud, before burying it like Icemelt had taught her. She moved on, capturing prey left and right. When she returned to camp, proudly holding her _four pieces _of prey to the fresh-kill pile, she was enthusiastically greeted by her friends, who halted in surprise when they noticed how much prey she had caught. "Excellent work, Skypaw," Icemelt mewed proudly. "Get some rest, we're going on the dusk patrol, and then we'll be doing some battle training starting at dawn tomorrow_._" "Really?" "Yes, you're going to be _very _busy from now on," Icemelt chuckled.

The following dawn, Skypaw was up and… sort of alert. Kinda. Not really. Icemelt smirked at her apprentice's tired expression. "You'd better wake up fast, battle training is hard work," she advised. "Okay," Skypaw slurred, smacking her face with her paws. In the sandy hollow, Icemelt began instructing her about battling styles. "As you'll remember, yesterday day, Darkmoon told Lionpaw that he was built to be an offensive cat, powerful, clever, and fierce. You on the other hand, aren't as strong as he is. You will have to be a clever and quick fighter, like I am. Darkmoon is strong and brave, his style is perfectly suited to Lionpaw's; like yours is to mine. Now, I want to test your agility, speed, strength, and cunning in battle. Come at me." Skypaw studied her mentor. _This will not be an easy fight._ She lunged towards her mentor, meaning to fake it, but Icemelt caught on and easily knocked her over. "Try again," was her only advice for several days, with failure after failure for Skypaw. She'd come back to camp at dusk, battered and bruised without a single win to show for it.

This system went on until the fifth day of the third week at sunhigh, when Icemelt called a lunch break. Exhausted, Skypaw caught a vole, and hungrily stripped the meat off its bones. Sitting near a creek resting, she heard a bark. Looking behind a bush, she saw a fight between a mean old raccoon and a snake. Rolling her eyes, she turned to leave, when a flash of movement caught her eye. The snake had tried a move on the raccoon that she had used on Icemelt earlier. But unlike Skypaw, the squirrel succeeded in its maneuver, and won the fight. Skypaw was struck with revelation. _I will strike like a snake, fast and deadly._ "Icemelt! I'm ready!" she yowled.

Once more she faced her mentor on the sandy battle ground. _But this time, I'm prepared._ She faked a lunge like she had on the first day. Icemelt reached out to bowl her over like before, but Skypaw was ready. She continued her little fake-out jump into the air, leaping far above the white mentor. She flew so high, it felt like she could scratch the clouds out of the sky. _Skypaw, indeed, _she thought right before landing, Icemelt dodging just in time. "Good, good," she approved. She deftly dodged Icemelt's paw-swipes, and struck like an adder. She slipped under her defenses, and struck her in the chest and sides. Icemelt sat on the ground with a thump. "It would appear that you finally found a fighting style that is perfect for _you_. Tomorrow I will begin teaching you more generic fighting moves, and how to combat different types of opponents. And… you get to go to the Gathering tonight." "Yay!"

Skypaw rushed into camp, barreling into Frostpaw as she dashed towards the fresh-kill pile.

"Whoa, slow down there firecracker," Jack laughed. "You look awfully happy for being whooped by Icemelt several weeks in a row." "Actually, today I beat Icemelt, and figured out my fighting style. And I get to go to the Gathering tonight," she crowed.

"That's great news!" Rubypaw mewed happily, rubbing her cheek happily against her friend's face. "I know! Are you guys going too?" "I know I am," Rubypaw mewed.

"Darkmoon told me I was going too," Lionpaw added. "I wonder if I am," Frostpaw muttered. "Hey Lynxtooth!" he yelled across the clearing.

"What?!" came the irritated cry from across the camp. "Am I going to the Gathering tonight?" "If I say yes will you shut up?" the big tom growled. Skypaw and Rubypaw shook in silent laughter. "Hooray, I'm going!" the silver tom exclaimed, dancing around the clearing. "It'll be our first time seeing the Clans since we joined Thunder Clan," Lionpaw solemnly intoned. Every cat was silenced. "We have to show them that we're not push-overs anymore," Frostpaw mewed. "Agreed," Skypaw chimed in.

"Cats of Thunder Clan!" Redstar called from the top of the Highrock. "The warriors and apprentices going to the Gathering are: Skypaw, Icemelt, Lionpaw, Darkmoon, Lynxtooth, Frostpaw, Rubypaw, Morningfrost, Lightheart, and Sandypelt! We leave immediately!" The called cats rushed after their leader, and when they stopped at the top of the slope leading to Fourtrees, Redstar turned and addresses the newest apprentices. "Carry yourselves proudly, no matter what the other Clans say, and don't divulge any information against Thunder Clan, but try to get to know warriors from other Clans," Redstar advised. The red tom flicked his tail, and Thunder Clan poured into Fourtrees.

at the other Clans. Thunder Clan was a bit late, so there wasn't much time to mingle with other cats. The apprentices were busy asking who was that, who's the deputy of Wind Clan, who's that big brown warrior over there- when the Clan leaders called the Gathering to order. The news of each Clan was relatively normal, Wind Clan had a new litter of kits, Shadow Clan had two new warriors, one of River Clan's elders died… until Ravenstar of Shadow Clan announced that her warriors had scented a strange she-cat on their territory.

"She wasn't from any of the Clans, and we know that she has white fur- we found strands of it on nearby branches." "How odd," Redstar murmured.

"She didn't take any prey, did she?" Thistlestar of Wind Clan inquired. "Nope. We think she was just passing through, but the strangest thing was that she smelled of many cats, but not from any cat I know off," Ravenstar mewed. "Hmm… odd," Lilystar of River Clan commented. "No harm done, I suppose," Thistlestar meowed.

"Actually, harm _has _been done," an unfamiliar voice mewed. "Who's that?" Eaglewing asked. A pure white she-cat with very light eyes emerged from the surrounding forest, walking to the tree where the leaders addressed the Clans. "That's her, that's the she-cat we scented," Fogpelt meowed in surprise. "Yes, that was me." "Why are you here?" Lilystar hissed. For once, Skypaw was on the river Clan leader's side. _Why was a strange cat here? Well, I guess I can't call her strange as I did use to be a human… _"I am here to save you from yourselves. The Clans must be saved. I will lead you, and there will be no more bloodshed or fighting. My name is Dawn, and I am here to unite the Clans and bring them their salvation." Skypaw felt a chill. A light brown she-cat behind her, the medicine cat apprentice Maplepaw, whispered "_The five of the night will extinguish the white light._ She is the white light! She will save is from the dark evil ones!"


	8. Chapter 8

"What did Maplepaw say about Dawn saving us?" came the questions from the gathered cats.

"Maplepaw, explain this!" Redstar bellowed above the confusion. Dawn's pale eyes lit up with recognition.

"Ah, yes, I have heard of you. Star Clan told me they would send a medicine cat a message about me."

"How do you know about Star Clan and our medicine cats?" Eaglewing asked. "I know many things. Star Clan has enlightened me in order to save all of you."

"What do you mean save?!" Icemelt cried. "I mean that you will all meet a terrible fate if you do not follow my guidance. The warriors have fought, killed, for countless generations. If you join my clan, your spirits will be accepted into Star Clan, and no harm will ever come to you again," she mewed gently. "I speak for all of Thunder Clan when I say we decline your offer," Redstar declared. Yowls of agreement were heard throughout the crowd.

"Shadow Clan also rejects your offer," Ravenstar meowed.

"As does River Clan," Lilystar added.

"Same with Wind Clan," Thistlestar chimed in. "Fine. You will come upon such hardships your ancestors will wail in despair. And I will be merciful even though you have rejected my offer. When being divided brings disaster and sorrow, I will welcome you with open paws, and teach you to see the light. If any cat wants to join Light Clan, you only need to look at where the sun rises. Come towards the light, my children." Dawn finished her speech and padded out of Fourtrees.

Skypaw looked at Rubypaw, shocked.

"Are all first Gatherings like this?" Lionpaw asked.

"Not by a longshot," she muttered. "Thunder Clan! We're going back to camp," Redstar announced.

Back at camp, Skypaw shared the news about Dawn with Falconpaw. "It was insane; she acted as if we were little scared kits who needed their mama."

"It sounds like she made some sort of prediction about sorrow and disaster… Do you think she's some sort of prophet?" 'I dunno, maybe she's a medicine cat from some distant Clan," Skypaw mused. Icemelt trotted up to her apprentice. "Crazy prophet or not, you need to get some sleep. You have more battle training tomorrow," she advised. "Icemelt, what do you think Dawn was?" "It doesn't matter, she's gone now. She actually looked a lot like someone I knew once… long ago." "Who?" But the pure white mentor had already walked away; leaving her puzzled student with questions buzzing around her head. As she lay down in her nest, she wondered, _I wonder who Dawn really is. What disasters was she predicting? Will there be another quake? _She trembled, remembering how she had barely survived the last natural calamity. _Icemelt's right. It doesn't matter. Dawn's gone now; I won't ever see her again. _As the golden-brown she-cat fell asleep, a pure white she-cat opened her impossibly light eyes.

"Au contraire, Kate. We will meet again _very_ soon," Dawn whispered sinisterly.

"What was that, Guiding Light?" a guard asked, poking his head in. "Oh nothing's wrong, Crow. I simply had another vision." "Oh, that's excellent, Dawn." "Indeed. Will you fetch me Leopard now?" "At once," the tough black tom responded, disappearing from her line of sight. A beautiful gold she-cat appeared.

"Dawn? You wished to see me?" "Indeed. If the Clans won't voluntarily join us, they will through depression and hardship. Tell the other Clan-based agents to be on the lookout for a messenger." "I will depart at once, Dawn." The lovely she-cat sped out of the den. _Ah, it feels so good to bring salvation to the ignorant… and dispose of a few old enemies._

"Excellent, Moonpaw," Morningfrost mewed. "I'm sure that you'll be made a warrior very soon." Skypaw's eye twitched in irritation. _If that heap of mousedung is made a warrior before me, she'll make my life a living pit of despair! "_Do you think you can do that move too, Skypaw?" Morningfrost asked deceptively sweetly. _This is just a trick for me to make a fool out of myself. _"Sorry, Morningfrost, I don't think I'm ready." "Nonsense! You should try," Eaglewing meowed, entering the training hollow with Falconpaw. "But… that's a move for older apprentices. I'm not ready for that." "Icemelt has been giving me very positive feedback about your training. I think you should give it a shot," he responded. "Oh… u-um okay," she mewed reluctantly. "Can you show me again, Moonpaw?' "Fine," she grumbled, doing as she asked only because the deputy was present. She leaped in the air, twisting once, and then clawed an invisible enemy, then rolled out of the way of imaginary fangs. _Oh no._ Falconpaw looked worried as well.

"Maybe it would be easier for her in actual combat," he suggested. "That's a good idea, I've been meaning to assess Skypaw," Icemelt mewed. It had been several days since Skypaw encountered Dawn at the Gathering. "She can battle Falconpaw," Eaglewing suggested, "Great idea!" Icemelt meowed cheerfully. "WHAT!" "He's way bigger than me." "She's too small, I'll crush her…" "Silence! The deputy instructed. "Skypaw, you need the experience of going up against a much stronger opponent, and Falconpaw, you need to learn how to combat a smaller, quicker cat." Icemelt padded over to her apprentice, and whispered in her ear, "Falconpaw's very strong, and is rather clever in battle too. Try to use your speed and agility. Strike like an adder," she advised.

The apprentices circled each other, Skypaw anxious, Falconpaw nonchalant. Falconpaw suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the she-cat with suddenly very strong paws, forcing her onto the ground. "This is too easy, Eaglewing," he laughed. Ashamed, Skypaw tried to crane her head and see who else had arrived to witness her humiliation. _Oh great, Lionpaw, Frostpaw, Lynxtooth, and Darkmoon. Did every cat decide to train here today?!_ Lionpaw only looked a bit sad, Frostpaw was snickering, and the warriors looked on with disapproval. _They think I'm not worthy to be a warrior! I need to win! _She glanced at Icemelt. The mentor gave her a nod. _Icemelt thinks I can do it. That's good enough for me! _ She felt strength flood into her limbs. "Get off me!" she yowled, suddenly surging up and throwing the tom off of her. The cats looked at her in surprise. Icemelt smiled, thinking _I knew she could do it._ "This fight isn't over yet!" Skypaw declared. Darkmoon's eyes narrowed with concentration, studying the suddenly mighty apprentice. _That must have been a fluke,_ Lynxtooth thought. "Oh, so you haven't had enough yet," Falconpaw snickered. Icemelt was outright grinning now, attracting strange looks. Lionpaw also recognized the look in Skypaw's eyes. It was the same as when she defended Rubypaw on the fight. _He'd better watch out._

He again tried the grabbing move, but this time, the she-cat was ready. She leaped high into the air, twisting, and perfectly executed Moonpaw's move. Morningfrost's jaw dropped. "Something's changed…." Falconpaw observed. He never got to figure out what. She darted in, smacking him on the chest, before dashing out of range. She slipped under his legs to batter his belly with sheathed paws, and hit him with her paws on his unprotected flank. He rolled around, snapping at the smaller apprentice. He finally pinned her down completely, and then promptly collapsed from exhaustion.

Stunned silence followed.

"I think we'll call that round a tie," Eaglewing meowed.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: First of all, sorry I haven't updated in a while… darn you, teachers! *shakes fist***

**LeCat101: haha now you're the next on Dawn's hit list… O_0 Run!**

**Hollyflame: I know, she's super creepy… glad you liked the chapter!**

**Featherleap: I'm so happy you like it! *squeals excitedly* on with the show!**

The warriors looked at Skypaw in astonishment, while Icemelt looked on smugly.

Eyeing his apprentice, the deputy commented, "Either Falconpaw needs some help with his battle training or we have a little fighter on our paws."

"Indeed, I didn't think that a kittypet would be so fierce…" Lynxtooth murmured.

"Nor so crafty," Darkmoon chimed in.

"I told you she had immense potential," Icemelt mewed proudly. "I haven't seen anyone fight that way since… her." The white mentor's voice shook a bit. Skypaw's ears raised in curiosity. _Who was this she-cat? Why did she have the same battling style as me? And why did that upset Icemelt so much? _She was jolted out of her thoughts by Moonpaw of all cats.

"I've never seen any cat battle that way," she mewed, eyes shining. When the apprentices turned to her in shock, she realized what she had just said. "I mean, Falconpaw must have been going easy on you. And you shamefully took advantage of his kindness. Yes, that's why you won." The calico quickly trotted over to her men tor, which promptly broke up the warriors' huddle.

The warriors called for their respective students, and the apprentices trotted off. Lionpaw hung back for a moment to whisper,

"You were great," before bounding after Darkmoon. "Alright, that's enough praise," Icemelt meowed, beckoning her apprentice over. "We're going hunting."

It was late in the afternoon when Skypaw returned with her catch. As she padded over to Rubypaw, she felt a twinge of pain in her paw. Wining, she closely inspected the pad. _Ah ha, a thorn. I'll go to the medicine cat den._ She had seen numerous cats stream in and out of there in the moon she had been there. Ducking into the den, she called "Is any cat here?" A gray-black tom with puffy fur covering his face pushed past her with a bundle of herbs in his mouth.

"My apprentice will attend to you," he muttered around the herbs in his mouth. He used his paw to indicate to a light-brown she-cat with a white muzzle, tail-tip and white paws _Oh,_ _Maplepaw, the prophecy-spewing she-cat._ "I'm Sootypelt by the way," he meowed before leaving. She nodded to him in respect before wandering further into the den in search of Maplepaw.

"Hey, chicken-warrior, will you fix my sprained paw? Oh wait, you're too afraid to even go near a battle _wound_, let alone an actual battle," the despicable voice of Bearpaw meowed. "I never will understand your thought process for abandoning your warrior training Maplepaw. It shames you, and you needed your warrior's honor. It's not as if you have the beauty that I possess to help you through life," Moonpaw mewed snidely. _What awful heaps of fox dung! Even though I don't know her, no cat deserves to be treated that way. _Her claws slid out, scratching the dirt floor. _Wait. Keep your cool. The last time you got into an impromptu fight you were nearly kicked out of the Clan. Unless the bullying becomes physical, I shouldn't attack._ She decided to make her entrance.

"Greetings, despicable excuses for living things," she meowed cheerfully to Bearpaw and Moonpaw. The three apprentices twisted around at the sound of a new voice. Bearpaw growled, and made as if to attack her. "Un-uh," she admonished. "Attacking your Clanmates would get you in big trouble with Redstar," she reminded the large brown apprentice. "He doesn't have to know," he hissed threateningly. At the outright challenge, Skypaw fought fire with fire. That is, rude threats with even ruder threats. "I kicked your butt before, and I won't hesitate to do it again," she growled. Moonpaw sniffed. "She's not worth our time Bearpaw. Let's go." "See you around, medicine cat trash," Bearpaw called out as his final statement before exiting the cave.

"Were you seriously just going to sit there and take that?" she questioned Maplepaw.

"It usually gets rid of them faster," she mewed in a quiet and gentle voice. "Now, what did you need?" "Um, I have a thorn in my pad." "Alright, I'll have it out soon." Fetching some big, green, soft-looking leaves that she called dock, she set about tugging the thorn out of the golden-brown she-cat's paw. "Just sit here for a minute with the dock pressed on the wound," she advised. Turning back to her herb-sorting, she whispered, "…. And thanks for sticking up for me." "Oh, it was nothing. Anything to insult those two, right?" she meowed jokingly, trying to lighten the serious atmosphere. "No, I mean it. You're the only one who's stood up for me. The warriors don't know about it. Even my brother doesn't defend me anymore." "Who's your brother?" "Falconpaw." Skypaw drew back in surprise. "Yeah, I know. He's the perfect warrior apprentice, and I'm the wimpy little medicine cat apprentice," she said bitterly. "No, no, It's just that you two don't look much alike, that's all," she reassured Maplepaw hastily. "Oh, it's fine, I'm used to it…"

The she-cats' conversation was cut short by a yowl from the clearing. Exchanging a worried look, they burst out into the clearing. To Skypaw's surprise, a grown warrior, a sandy brown tom, who was howling with grief in the middle of the camp. Answering the cats' unasked questions, he yowled for all to hear: "Blackivy has been killed!" Howls of grief were heard, particularly from her brother, Graypebble.

"What happened?" Eaglewing inquired sadly. "Her paw prints led to a cliff. If you looked over, you would see blood… lots and lots of blood at the bottom." "And, and" the tom, Sandypelt meowed, "Fur that was not hers was found… along with a pair of paw prints leading up to hers. Blackivy was murdered! She was pushed off a cliff!" More cries were heard. _Who would do such a thing? _

"That is not all that has happened," Redstar announced sadly. "What! What else could possibly have happened- "Thistlestar of Wind Clan has been killed as well." Stunned silence met this new revelation. "What! But he still had three lives left!" Sootypelt objected. "It is suspected that he was wounded over and over again until he lost all of his remaining lives," Redstar sadly responded. That night, vigils were held, and messengers were sent to each Clan to tell them of the news. The messengers returned with news from the other Clans.

"Lakerush of River Clan and Shadebolt of Shadow Clan have been killed as well. Also, the deputies from the other Clans have accompanied us. They wanted to speak with Redstar," Lightheart meowed. The deputies and Redstar left in a huddle. "This is terrible. We have a mass murderer running around right under our noses…" Eaglewing muttered. "Actually…" Fogpelt of Shadow Clan said, "We suspect the murderer to be right here among Thunder Clan." The Clan turned to their leader, full of rage at the Shadow Clan deputy's accusation. To their astonishment, Redstar looked shell-shocked, his eyes glazed over with grief.

"Who… who has been accused?" Sunblaze asked tentatively. "The same fur was found at each crime scene… and the same scent. The only warrior who matched the description was… Darkmoon of Thunder Clan," Fogpelt meowed gravely.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey y'all, it's been a few days, huh! **

**Hollyflame: I'm so glad you think it's interesting! XD On with the show!**

"What?" Skypaw turned towards Lionpaw. His eyes looked so desperate, like he would shatter into a million pieces if his mentor was guilty of murder.

"Do you truly believe this madness, Redstar?" Icemelt questioned. Darkmoon was a legendary warrior, supremely loyal to his Clan. The thought that he murdered cats… and a fellow Clan mate was… unthinkable to say the least. Redstar's great head bowed in defeat. He climbed the High Rock, and when he spoke to his Clan, his voice trembled.

"C-cats of Thunder Clan… I do not want to believe this accusation any more than you do… but their evidence was infallible… and until further investigation…" the red tom winced and swallowed visibly from the view of the crowd. "… Darkmoon will be considered guilty of murdering Blackivy, Thistlestar, Lakerush, and Shadebolt. He will be kept prisoner until then." The cats looked at Redstar in dismay. Darkmoon looked on with wide eyes.

"B-but I'm not guilty…" he protested weakly. The four deputies cornered him.

"Don't struggle. I don't want to have to hurt you," Eaglewing meowed sadly. "Are you insane? Just because a few cats accused me of murder you're going to turn on _me_, your own Clan mate?" he screeched. "Yes, Darkmoon. That is exactly what I am going to do, because Redstar decrees it, and his word is law." Darkmoon's calm composure was slipping away from him as the four deputies converged on him. "You can't! I'll run! I-I'll find out who really did it!" the cerulean-eyed cat vowed. "I will avenge the deaths of Blackivy, Lakerush, Thistlestar, and Shadebolt!" With these words, he bolted out of the clearing.

"I'm sorry, Darkmoon," Eaglewing whispered. "Get him!" Crowds of cats chased after the now disgraced warrior. "Darkmoon…" Lionpaw moaned in sadness. Skypaw's eyes were narrowed. _He couldn't have murdered those cats… I knew him. I trained with him. He couldn't possibly be guilty. I respected him, he was… no is the best fighter in Thunder Clan._ Having convinced herself of Darkmoon's innocence, the golden brown she-cat made a promise to herself and Lionpaw. She looked at her sobbing friend. _Don't worry, Lionpaw. I'll save him, and find out who killed them… and framed Darkmoon for their crimes._ She and Frostpaw gently led the grieving tom to his nest, murmuring reassurances in his ears. When they were satisfied he was asleep the three awake friends turned to each other.

"Do you think he's guilty?" Frostpaw quietly asked the blue-eyed she-cat. At this, Rubypaw buried her face in her paws.

"Oh! It's so terrible, being a cat. We won't ever go home to our families… The cats we have grown close to have been accused of _murder _for God's sake…I just wish I could go home and forget this ever happened!" she mewed in anguish. Frostpaw glared at the red she-cat. "Well, guess what, Princess. You can't just tap your magic ruby slippers together and go home, now can you! Instead, you have to face reality for once! We might never get home! Grow a spine!" Instead of yelling at her to buck up and face the possibility of them never getting home, Skypaw simply nestled down next to her friend. "I know it's terrible… but I think this gives us a purpose." "Whaddaya mean?" Frostpaw asked, sudden fury evaporating. "I think we were meant to come here and save Darkmoon."

"Oh, great," Frostpaw said with disgust, anger returning. "You've turned into some kind of prophet, believing in magical signs and _purpose_. You know, I thought you were actually kind of smart, but obviously I was wrong. All you've ever done is get us into trouble. If Lionpaw and I had never met you as humans, this whole mess would never have happened! Lionpaw wouldn't be wrecked with sadness, Rubypaw wouldn't have turned into a sniveling wimp, and you wouldn't have gone _crazy_!" he bellowed, finishing his tirade. "Shut up, you stupid jerk! I don't think you're entirely innocent in this either!" she retorted, temper rising. Lionpaw awoke at the sudden screaming, and looked at the two in horror. "STOP FIGHTING!" he shouted, at such a volume that all the cats in the camp awoke. "Stop fighting, and calm down. Frostpaw, you're being a jerk, Rubypaw's being whiny, and Skypaw stop rising to his bait!" At his sudden outburst, Skypaw calmed down. _He's right. Fighting amongst ourselves will only make this situation worse._

"Okay. Let's go out into the forest where we can discuss this peacefully without waking every cat up," she suggested looking warily at Eaglewing stalking towards them.

"It's the middle of the night, for Star Clan's sake!" "SorryEaglewingwe'llbeoutintheforestbye," Skypaw blurted out quickly and bolted out into the forest, the others quickly following her. They giggled at Eaglewing and Sandypelt trying to chase them through the brambles with zero sleep. "Ah, leave them Sandypelt. As long as they aren't waking _us_ up, let's go back to camp," Eaglewing mewed. With the threat gone, the four arranged themselves unto a circle. "Okay, first of all, everybody say sowwy to each other," Lionpaw said in a baby voice, as if he was speaking to pre-scholars fighting over a toy. A chorus of apologies was voiced. "Good, now we can get back to the matter at hand," he meowed calmly. "Should we go to find Darkmoon?" Frostpaw asked. "Yes, I think we should. I don't think he was guilty." Skypaw mewed.

"So, it's unanimous then? We go after Darkmoon in the morning?" Lionpaw checked. "Agreed," three voices rang out. The apprentices decided to simply sleep in the Clearing. As the haze of sleep surrounded her, Skypaw looked around. "How ironic…" she slurred. "It's Fourtrees." She promptly fell asleep… before waking up in a starry field.

"The heck?" she commented, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her paws.

"Hello, Skypaw. Welcome to Star Clan."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while…**

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"Who's there?" Skypaw exclaimed, frantically spinning around in circles.

"I'm on your right, Skypaw," the voice said with soft chuckles. Skypaw turned. "No, your _other _right," the voice said, exasperated. When the former human turned, her eyes bugged out with shock. There, standing right in front of her was a shimmering blue-gray she-cat, blue eyes glowing softly.

"B-bluestar…" Skypaw said in reverence. _This was Bluestar! The mentor of Firestar, one of the great leaders of Thunder Clan, the brave warrior who gave up everything for her Clan… And she's right in front of me! _ "Yes, young one. I am Bluestar, mentor of Firestar, and former leader of Thunder Clan." A sudden thought occurred to Skypaw.

"Did you do this to me? Are you the reason I transformed from a human into a cat?" "Well… yes. But that is not the matter at hand." "What! Of course it is! I mean, I've got fur and a tail now, for God's sake!" "I think you mean Star Clan's sake," the former leader said reprovingly. "And Darkmoon's situation is a bit more vital at the moment, is it not?" "You're right Bluestar," Skypaw mewed, recalling her promise to Lionpaw. Bluestar's eyes shone with hundreds of untold secrets, the mysteries of the stars shining in her eyes as she leaned towards the sapphire-eyed she-cat.

"The five of the night shall extinguish the white light," she murmured, gazing down at a pool with stars reflecting off its indigo depths. _That's the same prophecy that Maplepaw blurted out at the Gathering! Does that apply to me somehow?_ "I see from your expression that you have heard this prophecy before. From Maplepaw I presume?" Skypaw nodded. "Maplepaw is a very gifted medicine cat. She has a difficult path ahead of her. But what she does not know is that there is more to the prophecy." Skypaw leaned forward eagerly. _This is just like something out of the Warriors series! Wait… I am a part of the Warriors series!_ A thrill went through her. _I am a legend waiting to happen._

"_The fighter with the golden heart will be struck down by the revelation and the cold bite of winter will descend upon us all. Claws will rake the sky as the hidden one bleeds. One light will shine… one that will extinguish the stars."_ Bluestar meowed ominously, staring at the crystal pool before her. She turned to the unnerved apprentice. "If you do not save the fighter… the Clans will not survive the wrath of winter… Look in the pool."

Skypaw leaned forward, gazing into the inky darkness at the bottom. "What do you see?" The water suddenly clouded… and colors darkened the surface. A wide grassy field… massive amounts of cats on two different sides of the clearing. A golden streak ran forward, and was met by a massive gray blur. She heard a shriek from one of the cats, and leaned closer to see. But it was no use; the figures were already melting away. She sat down, disappointed. Suddenly a red haze was clouding the crystal-clear water. It exploded into Skypaw's face, and fell back, shrieking.

The golden-brown she-cat awoke with a start, leaping high up into the air, and landing on Frostpaw. Needless to say, her companions were awoken by this.

"Ugh, what's wrong with you? It's too early…" Frostpaw moaned, trying to shove the terrified she-cat off him. "Look, I know I'm attractive, but…" He opened his icy eyes to see that the she-cat was not being overly affectionate. No, she was downright traumatized.

"What's wrong?" Rubypaw asked. "I-I had a dream." She explained the entire meeting with Bluestar, from the pool to the red haze. Except… she did not tell them the prophecy. _It will only panic them, and who knows what it means, right? _

"Hey, sorry to interrupt therapy, but I think that's Darkmoon," Frostpaw meowed, interrupting Skypaw's musings. They all swiveled to see a dark figure with the tell-tale white disk on his forehead standing on a rock near the river.

"C'mon! We need to catch him!" Frostpaw said, already pelting towards the river. The others dashed after him. "Darkmoon!" Rubypaw shouted. Startled, the dark fighter turned and ran when he saw clan cats pursuing him. The four apprentices pursued him throughout the forest, for every time he was on the edge of Thunder Clan territory, he would head back into the woods. The panting apprentices finally caught up to Darkmoon.

"W-we finally caught up to you," Skypaw panted.

"Are you going to try to take me prisoner? I do not wish to hurt you," he meowed, sounding depressed. "No, we only want to talk to you! We believe you're innocent, and that someone else did it!" Lionpaw exclaimed, delighted to see his mentor. "Oh, you do? Thank Star Clan there are some cats who have sense… even if the cats in question are only apprentices," he commented half to himself. "It's not their fault… they just trust Redstar whole-heartedly. And Redstar was provided with solid evidence. We just need to give them proof that you're not a killer," Skypaw calmly stated. "Do you have any suspicions about who really did it?" "Hmm… No cat comes to mind who would want revenge for some reason…" The warrior and apprentice fell into discussion about who could have framed him, and how they could prove Darkmoon's innocence.

**Meanwhile…**

A brown apprentice scurried into a stone cave. He gulped, surveying the pure white bones scattered around the cave.

"D-dawn?"

"Ah, yes. Come in," Dawn called from the back of the cave where she was in discussion with a massive gray cat with scars all over him. "You can go now, Dusk." The gray tom nodded, and strutted out of the cave. To the apprentice's horror, he realized that the tom had only one beady yellow eye. The other was only a small slit with awful scars crisscrossing the area. _Some cat had gouged his eye out. And quite a bit of the rest of him too,_ the apprentice silently added in his head.

"What is it? You did well." "I didn't want you to frame him for murder!" the brown tom exclaimed, filled with sudden courage. Dawn's colorless eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Bearpaw. You wanted us to get revenge on your former mentor for abandoning you. We did as you asked; he is out of your life forever. Or he will be killed by one of your patrols sooner or later." "But I only wanted you to scare him!" Bearpaw wailed in anguish. "Not frame him for murder!" Dawn's face lit up with a menacing grin as she leaned towards the muscular apprentice. "I didn't just frame him for murder. I set him up to be killed! Now get out of my sight!" The brown tom sprang up and sprinted out of the den.

_Good, He'll be too scared to tell any cat what he did, and he gave us the necessary information to get rid of what would have been a fearsome enemy._

Dawn padded out onto the ledge of her cave to see the rising sun as she looked down at the Clans' territories. _Soon Bearpaw won't be the only one running to me._

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	12. Chapter 12

**Hey y'all! Next installment of the former humans is here!**

**Hollyflame: Now Bearpaw will tell Dawn about you too! Run!**

**Spyrofan: Yeah, I think she might be the devil… Look! I updated! On with the show!**

"Well Darkmoon? Any guesses as to who'd want you gone?" Frostpaw asked, getting straight to the point as usual. Lionpaw's mentor's eyes seemed to darken.

"Yes," was the warrior's short reply.

"Care to enlighten us?" Skypaw meowed. "… Just don't go around accusing cats of the crime. My guess may be incorrect." The four apprentices leaned forward, whiskers twitching with excitement and suspense. "I think that it may have been…"

"Yes? Who is it?" Lionpaw inquired eagerly. "You wouldn't know her." "Oh! Is she from another Clan?" Skypaw asked with curiosity. This comment sent the former humans into a flurry of ideas.

"Oh! Oh! Maybe it was Ravenstar!" Rubypaw accused. "What? Why Ravenstar?" Frostpaw asked dubiously. "I dunno… she just seemed like the kind of per-cat! Cat! To do something like this." She finished. Frostpaw snickered at the red she-cat's blunder. Caught up in the spirit of mystery, (which came after many an hour playing Clue), their guesses became more and more absurd. "I know! I know!" Lionpaw eagerly mewed. "It's Thistlestar!" "Thistlestar's dead, stupid," came Skypaw's sharp reply. Darkmoon, who had wandered off during their stupid guessing game, returned just in time to prevent an argument on whether Thistlestar was in fact, dead.

"If you're quite finished, I believe I have a way to solve my predicament," the cerulean-eyed tom said, immediately capturing their attention. "I will need your help for my plan to succeed," he meowed quietly. Beckoning with his tail, the apprentices joined him in a huddle. _Ha, it's sort of like a football huddle! _Skypaw laughed to herself. "Skypaw? You listening?" Lionpaw checked. "Set, hut!" she blurted out. "What?" Darkmoon looked at her with surprise. "Oh… u-uh that's just something that we used to say as kittypets," she said hastily. "Oh. Alright then."

"Alright, so we have to prove that it wasn't me who killed them." "Yes, Darkmoon," Frostpaw said, rolling his eyes. "We've been over this." "Ah, but this is where your youth makes you look stupid Frostpaw," Darkmoon meowed sagely as the other cats snickered. "Obviously, we need to further investigate the scenes of the crimes. Perhaps we can find paw prints or a piece of fur that is differently colored." "But… what if the cat who murdered them had black fur like you?" Rubypaw asked timidly. Darkmoon looked at her, deadly calm.

"Well then… we will have to plant false evidence." "What!" Lionpaw screeched, horrified that his esteemed mentor would suggest something so sneaky. "Calm down, Lionpaw." To everyone's surprise, it was Skypaw who was the voice of reason for once. "Hypocrite," Frostpaw hissed under his breath. Showing restraint rather than blowing up at him, which would have proved him right, she simply narrowed her sky blue eyes at him. "Well, it's what we would have to do. _We_ know that Darkmoon's innocent, but the other cats may not believe us. In order to prove that we are correct… we may need to turn to less… _proper_ methods." Frostpaw narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, nodding. "It's settled then?" Rubypaw asked. "We're going to where Blackivy was murdered."

Well, that was easier said than done. The four apprentices couldn't exactly waltz into camp with a convict as their companion. This situation was going to require some stealth. Leaving Darkmoon in the clearing, the former humans trotted the short distance from the clearing to where the black she-cat had been killed. Lionpaw and Rubypaw stayed hidden in the ferns, keeping watch for any patrolling Thunder Clan cats. Plus, their pelts stood out too much against the foliage. Not to say that Skypaw and Frostpaw exactly blended in but- oh, you know what I mean.

To Skypaw's horror, they had left the body where it lay. _But… the Clan cats bury their dead. Wait…there's drag marks in the dirt, like some cat tried to hide the body…Hmm… maybe they hid the body so the kits wouldn't be scared. That is suspicious though. _As she quietly slithered closer to the body, she silently marveled at just how quiet she was now. Icemelt had taught her well; she was turning into one of the best hunters in the Clan. Her nose wrinkled in revulsion as the stench of decaying flesh hit her nostrils. Bile rose in her throat as she gazed down at the dead cat in front of her, staring at the gouge marks torn in the cat's flesh. She glanced over at Frostpaw, who was already methodically searching the body. He saw her disgust, and made a face that seemed to say that he didn't like it any more than she did. _Well, best to get it over with. Now let's see, Darkmoon said that Blackivy had a black pelt and bright green eyes… Hey what's that? _Skypaw had noticed a tawny hair stuck to Blackivy's eyelid. As she leaned for a closer look, she noticed that Blackivy's eyes weren't fully closed. Full of pity for the fellow warrior, she was about to close the black she-cat's eyes… but something stopped her. A nagging little voice saying that something was wrong with this picture. _But what could it be?_ _I know! The eyes... Darkmoon said they were a vivid green. _ She gently opened the cat's eyes fully, shivering in disgust. Bracing herself, she looked at the cat's eyes. They were yellow. Not green. _This cat was not Blackivy. _

She gasped, and backed away. The others looked at her, questioning expressions on their faces. She motioned at this cat's face. Frostpaw looked at the cat's face for a split second before whirling to face her, panic in his eyes. She knew that he had the same thought as her: _If this cat isn't Blackivy… then who is it? And where is the real Blackivy? _ She dashed across the clearing, beckoning Rubypaw and Lionpaw to follow her. The other cats pounded after her until she finally halted next to a massive pine tree. "Okay, what just happened?" Rubypaw demanded, glaring at Skypaw and Frostpaw. "… That wasn't Blackivy," Frostpaw finally choked out, still in a fit of hysteria. "Darkmoon said that Blackivy had unmistakable green eyes, right?" Skypaw asked. The red she-cat and gold tom nodded in puzzled agreement. "Well… that cat had bright yellow eyes… like the moon." Lionpaw and Rubypaw, now comprehending the others' panic, were quite alarmed. To say the least.

The cats were so frazzled that before they remembered Darkmoon, it was too late to safely travel through the forest without attracting the notice of a patrol. They settled down for another night in the forest, albeit much more scared than last time.

Skypaw awoke to a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck. She gazed up at the sky, noting that it was still pitch black. _I should just go back to sleep. But what was it that woke me up? _She glanced around the immediate area, seeing nothing. Just as she was settling down again, she heard a twig snap. Her ears twitched in alarm. _Maybe it was just a mouse… _No. She could feel it. There was another cat here, who obviously didn't want their presence known. Another sudden idea came to her. _Maybe it's Darkmoon! Perhaps he came looking for us! _ By now, she was basically telling herself lies so she wouldn't break down into a hysterical mess. Then she sensed something that couldn't be explained away. Paw steps. Unmistakably those of a cat. Looking at her companions, she saw that Rubypaw and Frostpaw were just as alert as she, with panic clearly showing on their faces. Only Lionpaw still slept peacefully, completely unaware of his friends' fear. "No sudden movements," she silently mouthed to Rubypaw and Frostpaw. They blinked to show that they got her message loud and clear.

She tensed as she realized that there was more than one hostile cat… maybe three. Practically paralyzed with fear, she waited until she could feel one the cat's breath, and a paw ruffling her fur. A sudden fury gripped her. _They think they can just walk in and kill or maim us with no consequences! Well, I'll prove them wrong. _Courage flooded through her body. Nothing like some sarcasm and rightful indignation to make you brave, right?

She yowled "NOW!" and leaped onto her opponent, a lithe golden she-cat. As she engaged her in battle, she realized something as odd leaves fell from her fur. _The cats had not been about to murder them in their sleep. No, they were too clever for that. They knew that we would wake up and breathe more heavily… They drugged us. W e ha v wa y… _Her thoughts crumbled into oblivion as she fell from where she stood, right into the enemies' waiting paws.


	13. Chapter 13

**Whassup my homies?**

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**Please review so I know people are reading my story! On with the show!**

Skypaw's mind awoke before her body did. She could hear her captors, but she could give no reaction as to what they were saying. _I guess that's convenient. For now. _

"Why did he want us to capture them?" a rather high-pitched voice asked.

"It does not matter why. If Dusk asks, then we will do," the silky voice of a she-cat purred. _That sounds like the gold cat I was fighting._ She heard heavy paw steps coming in her general direction.

"Well, it would appear that you are good for something, mangepelt," a rough voice meowed. Skypaw heard a thump and a shrill squeal. _And there goes one of 'em. _"Feh! It looks like you're wrong, Dusk! He can't even take a pat on the back without acting as if his spine was ripped out!" The brutal cats seemed to think this thought was absolutely hilarious.

"Look. The gold one's waking up."

"Huh? What's going on?" Lionpaw slurred sleepily. "Hush, now. Everything will be explained as soon as your friends wake up," the she-cat mewed silkily. Skypaw could hear the sound of yawns as Rubypaw and Frostpaw awoke from their forced slumber. She felt a strange tugging sensation on her intangible self. _I must be waking up._ She jerked awake, ready to take on the brutes if they tried to drug her again. She heard chuckles as she drew her lips back and growled softly. "Oh, calm down dearie, we don't want to fight anymore," the gold she-cat said, slithering up to Skypaw's ear. "Besides," she hissed quietly, "we could take you down in an _instant_." Satisfied that the former humans were properly scared out of their wits, the grown cats got down to business.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why we drugged you and dragged you out here, correct?" At this, the apprentices glanced around, discovering that they were on the precipice of a _very_ high cliff. "The answer to your query is simple. We are protecting you from yourselves." The young cats shared bewildered looks. "It's all right, kits. We know that you have been misguided, and are here to show you the path."

What exactly have we been 'led astray' in?" Frostpaw inquired; sarcasm evident in his tone. The massive gray cat with jagged scars covering his body leaned towards them. "Don't play fool! We are trying to show mercy, but we can easily toss you off the cliff! Or rip out your insides!" He seemed to get grotesque pleasure out of watching them quiver in fright. "Stop, Dusk. They are only confused, and only we, the chosen ones, can help them," the she-cat said placidly. Turning back to the 'kits' she began to explain her purpose in a calm, mellow tone. "I am Leopard. These are my comrades, Dusk and Coyote," she said indicating the shrill voiced tom. "Our purpose in this life is to assist confused Clan cats in their journey to Star Clan." Skypaw was shocked, to say the least. How could cats who obviously weren't Clan-born or former humans know about Star Clan? _Oh no. What if… they used to be people too! _ Reading the looks of bewilderment on their faces, Leopard hastily explained. "Star Clan does not belong to any one group of cats. Star Clan must be shared with and loved by _all _cats. The Clans are simply our next target- err, mission. You must embrace your ancestors, or your soul will go to the Dark Forest, where you will roam hellish fires and be damned for all eternity!" Leopard finished her sermon of religion with heaving sides and a crazed look in her eyes.

Her composure slowly returned to her, and her fur once again lay flat on her spine. "Well? What do you say? Will you join us in our eternal quest to save cats from themselves, and become a preacher of Star Clan?"

"Well… I certainly don't want to be 'damned for all eternity' as you so dramatically put it. But I don't believe that Star Clan is like that. They don't really have any power over our daily lives. They're simply our warrior ancestors in the sky, who sometimes try to warn us about dangers to come," Lionpaw meowed earnestly. With a start, Skypaw recalled the two prophecies. _I'll need to sort them out later. _ "And they are where we will go to rest and guide the Clan cats who come after us," Lionpaw finished. "That pretty much sums them up," Skypaw said, remembering the Star Clan of the Warriors series.

"That! That is blasphemy!" Leopard howled like a crazed animal. _I suppose that she is a crazed animal. _"They must perish for destroying Star Clan's legacy! Die, heathens!" she screamed, throwing herself at the apprentices. "No." Dusk stuck out a paw, preventing the lithe she-cat from destroying the young cats. _Didn't think that Dusk of all cats would come to our rescue._

Dusk turned to them, revealing his left side, which was covered in long, terrifying scars. He turned his eyes- _No, eye! He only had one eye! _That in itself wouldn't have been unusual… nut it was simply an angry red socket, crisscrossed with scars and scratches… As if some cat had torn his eye out of his socket. She shivered in disgust, attracting Dusk's attention. "Oh, you think _this _is bad, kitty? Wait till you see what we'll do to _you._ "But first! The real reason we drugged you and took you here!" Coyote exclaimed with glee, as if he were reading from a script. "We saw how close you came to the body of… Blackivy. You knew too much, and we were simply going to throw you over the cliff and be on our merry way… but then Leopard had an idea. We snuck up on you, put you to sleep, and carried you out here. Depending on your reaction to our plan, you would have either become one of us… or died. Just like the rest of your Clanmates will."

"What do you mean?" Skypaw asked, shivering in fright. "We have discovered through… certain means that the older Clan cats will not accept our views and claim their salvation. It would appear that only kits will have the sense to come with us… you just disproved our theory that apprentices would too. So we had to resort to a different method to bring the Clans to their knees and embrace the light."

"You're all insane," Rubypaw said in horror, slowly backing up. "Ee hee hee! That's right!" Coyote yowled, reveling in the madness. "Oh no," Leopard said, coming forward. "We are _quite _sane. It is you who is crazy." With that, the three religious anarchists lunged.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, I was on vacation and the internet connection there was incredibly cruddy. But I'm back!**

**Hollyflame: I'm happy that you enjoy reading crazy take-over speeches. By the way, Dawn is the leader, Dusk is second-in-command. **

**Spyrofan: Thanks! :) On with the show! Also, I claim no ownership of C.S.I.**

Time seemed to slow down as the cats pounced. _So this is how it ends. I'm going to fall off a cliff, like some terrible cliché. _Skypaw glanced up in her final milliseconds of life. Night was falling, and the stars were starting to glimmer. _No. It can't possibly end like this. _ She felt a strange energy in her muscles; it felt as if she was buzzing under her pelt. She looked at her friends, and she blinked at them. They inclined their heads, somehow knowing what the plan was. Then speed returned to normal.

"I am not a cliché!" she yowled, and ducked the cat coming towards her, which happened to be Coyote. Rubypaw and Frostpaw ducked as well, and Dusk and Leopard came to a halt near the edge. Coyote and Lionpaw weren't as lucky. Because of Lionpaw's bigger size, Coyote had snagged Lionpaw on the way down, and was slowly dragging him off the cliff. Every cat looked on in horror. The apprentices bounded up to Lionpaw, grabbing him so he wouldn't fall. Coyote was clinging to Lionpaw's hind legs, pulling him down on purpose. Due to the young cats' distraction, the crazy anarchists took the opportunity to finish the job. Rubypaw and Frostpaw leaped to intercept them, leaving only Skypaw to hold up to large toms on her own. "Stop pulling on him, we can get you both up!" she called, all rivalry forgotten in the face of disaster. Apparently, Coyote had _not_ let go of now petty rivalries.

"I will drag him to his terrible death in the brambles of the Black Forest!" Coyote yowled, white froth spewing from his mouth. "Just stop! We can discuss our interview for the Black Forest later!" She had nearly finished pulling Lionpaw up the ledge while arguing with a maniac when she felt a claw stab into her paw. Skypaw let out a howl of pain, but kept hold of the two toms. _He's trying to drag me down too. No. I won't let him destroy Lionpaw and I. _ With that…. She let go of Coyote and pulled Lionpaw the rest of the way with one motion. The cats could hear his crazed howls all the way to the very bottom of the cliff where they heard a sickening _splat_!

All of the cats simply sat there, shell-shocked. Until Leopard came to the 'obvious' conclusion.

"You… You are agents of the Dark Forest. We spoke to you peacefully…. And you murdered one of our comrades!" Leopard screamed. The apprentices looked at each other and took a step forward. The crazy cats watched them. Were they going to try and fight? The former humans promptly turned tail and ran. Very very fast.

The four young cats halted near Thunder Clan camp, panting heavily.

"I think we lost them," Frostpaw meowed, craning his neck to look behind them. The four cats, by silent communication, decided not to mention the preachers… and how Skypaw had just made her first kill. Having mentally (and literally) put the incident behind them, they went back to the task at hand. And that was proving Darkmoon's innocence.

"Remember, we have our proof now. That cat isn't Blackivy, and it was obviously another cat's fur on her," Rubypaw meowed. "Yeah, but what do we do with this evidence? Just march in there and say: Hey guys! We ran out to find a fugitive in the middle of the night, investigated a strictly forbidden area and were kidnapped! Oh, and also? Darkmoon isn't guilty!"

"It will be hard to explain ourselves. We've been gone for a few days now, and if we say we had contact with the 'rouge' our evidence will be suspicious," Lionpaw chimed in. "Good point," Skypaw commented, impressed. "You watched your C.S.I." "Back to the point," Rubypaw interrupted. She knew that Skypaw could ramble on for hours if given an interesting enough subject. "So… any ideas?" Rubypaw inquired. "What if… we showed another cat?" Skypaw mused. "Huh?" Lionpaw mewed, befuddled. Skypaw continued a gleam of hope on her eyes. "What if I led Icemelt out here and I was talking about how Blackivy's eyes were a vivid green and she just _happens _to see that cat's eyes are bright yellow. And upon further investigation, there is tawny fur all on the dead body." "That's brilliant!" Lionpaw exclaimed, eyes shining in admiration. Frostpaw was shaking his head, chuckling. "What?" Skypaw asked. "It's just… you're pretty smart when your head isn't up in the clouds." Lionpaw and Rubypaw exploded with laughter. "Head in the clouds, and her name's Skypaw! Oh my gosh, that's great!" Rubypaw howled. Frostpaw joined them, rolling on the ground clutching his ribs. "I'm so witty!" he crowed. Skypaw sighed and continued on towards the entrance of the camp. _I swear; they're all on crack. No wonder everyone hates freshmen._

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	15. Chapter 15

**Blueeclipse: Finally, someone appreciates my puns! My friends at school always complain about them. XD**

**Icefang of Thunder Clan: Happy you like it! On with the show!**

Skypaw paused at the entrance to the camp. _I can't believe that I'm about to just strut in and pretend everything's normal… Things certainly have changed._ She shook her head, reminding herself that be confident, you had look confident. And she would need all the charisma and confidence she could get to pull of this caper.

"Hello, everyone," Frostpaw called.

"Where've you been?" Lynxtooth growled in annoyance. "And such a loving welcome I have received!" Frostpaw continued. More cats streamed out of dens, alerted by the toms' conversation.

"Where have you been?" Eaglewing enquired. This time the questioner was not met with a sarcastic response.

"We were out on a hunting trip," Skypaw mewed rapidly. "All of you?" he asked doubtfully. "Redstar should have been notified." "And I didn't send Frostpaw on a hunting trip," Lynxtooth commented.

Skypaw thought quickly. _We need to stick to the story even if we get in trouble for not telling them. _"Well, Icemelt sent me, and they tagged along," she meowed, indicating the former humans with her tail.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Rosethorn, Rubypaw's mentor, bellowed. "You can't just sneak off for two whole days! I thought I taught you better than that, Rubypaw."

"Sorry," the fluffy red apprentice responded. Rosethorn sniffed, but her eyes softened. "I'm glad you're safe," she mewed quietly in her apprentice's ear. "SO YOU CAN CLEAN THE NURSERY!" she added hastily, before sweeping her pupil out of the main area.

"What was that?" Lionpaw asked. Eaglewing chuckled, amused. "That was a cat with a soft side who doesn't want her armor to crack." He rose his voice. "Icemelt! Your apprentice is back from her hunting trip!" The pure white she-cat came skidding in from the nursery.

"Oh, she is?" Icemelt commented, looking at her student with a look that said; _we'll discuss this later. _ "I think I should take her hunting now, seeing as she was gone for two days and didn't catch anything," and she too hurried her apprentice out of camp.

Skypaw looked up at her mentor, wondering when the interrogation would begin. "Are you going to ask…?" "No, Skypaw," Icemelt mewed, interrupting her. "An apprentice should get into some trouble after all," she finished with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "What? Did you mess around too?" "Of course. Every cat has to get in trouble. I remember one time when Winter…. Never mind," she said, trailing off. _There she goes again. Cutting herself off at the mention of a particular cat. I really need to find out who this mysterious cat is. _She sighed. _Another thing to add to the list. _

"Well Skypaw, I'm going test you on your hunting today," Icemelt announced, jolting Skypaw out of her thoughts. The mentor seemed to have gotten over her brief bout of melancholy. There was an excited sparkle in the white cat's blue eyes that revealed her true age despite her efforts to appear calm and mature. "I'm going test you through the best way… competition!" "… What?" "You and I will compete to see who can catch more prey in an afternoon. I'm sure it will help redeem yourself in Eaglewing's eyes after your failed 'hunting' excursion." "Oh, you're right!" "I'm sure that Morningfrost and Wolfstep and their apprentices would be happy to join in." "… You're wrong. Very very wrong."

After a short break, the small group of cats met up in the forest. After explaining the rules, all the Thunder Clan cats split up to beat out the rest. Most of the afternoon passed uneventfully for all, especially Skypaw. She trudged through the forest, upset because she couldn't catch a whiff of prey. She decided to turn back. The sun was going down, and she only had a mouse and a wrinkled old magpie. Dejected, she began to make her way back to camp.

_Gosh, was I off my game or what today? What a pathetic haul! _She smelled a sour odor. _Ugh, that smell again! It's blocked my nose for most of the afternoon. _She took a deeper breath, trying to identify the stench. _It kind of smells like cat… but definitely not Thunder Clan. Could it be a loner or a rogue? Or maybe… invaders? _The golden apprentice crept towards the core of the scent, happening upon a shallow dip hidden by bushes. The odor was now overpowering. Peering through the branches of a bush with her eyes watering, Skypaw was still able to identify the cats.

_Shadow Clan! And it's not a simple visit… they only have warriors and older apprentices among their ranks. I have to go warn the Clan! _Skypaw turned and dashed away from the attackers. She sprinted through the forest, faster than ever before. She easily cleared streams and logs before arriving at the camp in ten minutes flat.

She burst into the camp, eyes wild. She was a sight to see with her pelt stuck up like a porcupine and her eyes as wide as saucers. "SHADOW CLAN!" she howled. At these fateful words, the cats froze, turning to her in horror.

"What direction?" Redstar asked urgently. "North east," she panted. "How many?" Eaglewing questioned?" "I dunno, a lot. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they brought every warrior and apprentice they've got." Orders were issued, and cats were scurrying about, trying to do last minute barriers on the nursery. The queens and elders ushered the kits inside; and then stationed themselves outside it.

Eaglewing called the apprentices over. "You all will be participating in battle," he announced. _Oh no… There's no way I'm ready! I'll just get killed! _ "Calm down. You're all ready to fight. I've watched you all grow and improve tremendously over the last few moons. You're not the defenseless kits you were before," he meowed, with a glance at the former humans. "You have become mighty warriors: Some of you are quick, some strong, and some clever. You may all be different but you have one thing in common: Your bravery. Now, go and protect your Clanmates!" the apprentices dashed off, empowered by the deputy's inspiring speech.

Eaglewing halted Skypaw and Falconpaw on their way to join the others. "I want you two to be my messengers." "What?" Skypaw asked. "You two will be in charge of sprinting off for help if the battle goes badly. If I shout 'Fly!' at any time during the battle, that is your cue to go get help. You must not delay if it comes to this. Don't bother beating your opponent; you could be the only things standing between winning the battle and utter destruction."

"Why us?" Falconpaw asked. "You are the fastest and you understand the dire need for help, should it come to that." _So that's why he didn't include Frostpaw. He doesn't think he'd go right away. He'd take the time to beat his enemy first. And the others aren't fast enough. _The two chosen cats nodded their affirmation of their extra job. "Now, go prepare to fight." The gray deputy bounded off.

Skypaw stood in a line of warriors, feeling not brave, not powerful but…. Queasy. She would have to battle for her own life and her Clanmates' and she was one of their only hopes if something went wrong.

"Shadow Clan approaching!" Ivyvine, a black, gray, and white calico called out. The fighters stiffened in apprehension. The Shadow Clan cats were so numerous, or so close, that Skypaw could hear their paw steps. Then… there was total silence. It was so quiet the cerulean-eyed apprentice could hear the blood rushing through her ears.

"ATTACK!"

The quiet was gone, and replaced with the snarls of cats and the screams of pain as teeth found flesh. Skypaw dashed around in terror among the whirlwind of screaming cats. _I am going to die today…. In a fiery whirlpool of pain. _She spied Lionpaw grappling with a warrior twice his size, and her heart knew what to do. But her mind told her no. To run for it while she still can, and leave him to die. He saw her standing there and cried out for help. But she stayed rooted to the spot, fear keeping her in its freezing grip. She saw the warrior; Fogpelt, the Shadow Clan deputy, latch himself onto Lionpaw's neck, and the golden tom went down.

Rage filled her heart, and red spots danced in her vision. _I am going to kill him. _She finally sprang into action, sprinting towards Fogpelt's exposed back. She tackled him, throwing Fogpelt off Lionpaw's neck. After the deputy's initial surprise wore off, he was able to fling her off quite easily. But by now her training had come back to her, and she was ready to fight. Lionpaw arose as well, though he was bleeding profusely. Lionpaw distracted while she dove under Fogpelt's legs and scratched his belly before sprinting away and they switched roles.

Fogpelt evidently had grown tired of them, for he threw them off and went to search for a more worthy opponent. Skypaw was happy though. She had conquered her fear, and Lionpaw wasn't dead.

A sudden yowl directed every cat's attention to the center of the clearing. Fogpelt lunged at Redstar's neck, and Eaglewing threw himself in between them. A loud snap was heard, and Eaglewing was pinned to the ground, with one leg twisted in a gruesome way with a pool of crimson blood around it. Redstar was exhausted and bleeding from multiple places because he was fighting several warriors at once. And now Eaglewing was out of the fight.

Thunder Clan was frozen in shock. Fogpelt leaned forward with his fangs sparkling in the moonlight. _Eaglewing is going to be killed. _

A shout of "NO!" pealed across the clearing, and a dark blur raced across the battlefield to bowl Fogpelt over. _Darkmoon! _

Eaglewing raised his head among the chaos. "Fly warriors. Fly!" Skypaw's eyes widened and she took off like a shot.

_We're losing the battle badly. And now I am the only thing standing in the way of total annihilation._

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	16. Chapter 16

**Blueeclipse: Glad that I'm doing a good job!**

**Icefang: I love cliffies too! But only when they're mine… I hate having to wait in suspense! On with the show!**

_Run. Run faster. _ Skypaw ran through the forest, not caring when she splashed through streams and branches tore at her face. _I have to run faster. _Skypaw tripped over a log; brining her back to a more rational state of mind. She realized that she was running around blindly in fear. She didn't actually have a destination in mind. She had to get one. And fast.

_River Clan is closer, but they're more hostile and kind of slow…. I'll go for Wind Clan then…. Wait, no, they lost their leader only a few days ago… they're probably disorganized now as well. I guess I have no choice but to ask River Clan for help._

With a destination in mind, her paws practically flew through the forest. In addition, the blood pounding in her ears faded and she was able to pick up other noises. _I hear something. It sounds like paw steps. Oh Star Clan, what if Shadow Clan sent some cat after me? Wait calm down…. Do not panic. It's not an assassin. But… the last time I thought some cat was following me I was kidnapped… I should run faster. Definitely. _ The golden brown apprentice made a quick turn and saw the river that separated River Clan from Thunder Clan up ahead.

_Yes, I'm nearly there! _She launched herself into the river without even a passing thought at its freezing temperature. That much couldn't be said for the cat following her.

As she clambered up on the opposite bank, she heard a loud splash and an undignified shriek. _Bye bye spy spy. _

She sprinted north, simply shouting for help at the top of her lungs. She probably wouldn't have gotten help if some River Clan cats weren't patrolling nearby.

"Is that Thunder Clan I smell?" a low, rumbly growl asked.

"Yes! Please, we need help!"

"What?" the speaker, a muscled orange tom, inquired gruffly. "Shadow Clan's attacked us. They're going to completely over-run the camp." The orange tom glanced at one of his companions, a gray tom. "What's our status with Shadow Clan right now Siltpebble?"

"We're not allied. We can help…. If Lilystar approves." _They'd let a Clan get destroyed just because they are allied with the other? Wait, Lilystar!? Crud, she'll say no! _

"Come with us," Siltpebble meowed. The patrol turned and raced towards a clump of reeds in the distance. _That must be their camp. _

"Lilystar! This apprentice says that Shadow Clan is demolishing Thunder Clan and that they're begging for our help," the orange tom meowed. _That's not how I'd put it. But beggars can't be choosers. Maybe the 'begging' will appeal to her sense of pride. _

"Oh, Thunder Clan's begging? _That _I'd like to see," Lilystar meowed. _Why, you bi- _"I see they sent the kittypet for help. They probably thought she couldn't fight. She was too kittypet even for Thunder Clan! _Thunder Clan!_" The gold leader cackled cruelly. _I hate you. _

"Please," she mewed with as much sincerity as she could, "We need help. Shadow Clan's sent all of their warriors and apprentices to fight, and we have elders and kits to protect. Could you, the great and glorious leader of River Clan, send assistance to us, the pathetic scraps of Thunder Clan?" She wanted to barf after spouting those fake sugary pleadings. The orange and gray toms were eyeing her with disbelief. She narrowed her eyes at them. _Don't judge me. We need all the help we can possibly get. Even if I have to blackmail, bribe, and lie. _

"Hmm…. I suppose we will help. Minnowtail, Brightflash, Siltpebble, Troutswim, Mintsplash, Daffodilclaw, and Robinwing. Go assist Thunder Clan. Shadow Clan needs to be put in their place anyway," she stated with imperious authority. _If I didn't need their help….Ugh. _The selected warriors ran out of camp with Skypaw leading the way.

"Where are they attacking?" Brightflash, the orange tom, asked. "The camp." Eyes widened at the audacity to attack a Clan on their home base. The group reached the border. _I hope we're in time. _A sudden snarl stopped all the cats in their tracks.

"I'm sorry, I can't allow you to go assist Thunder Clan," a silky voice purred. _Oh crud, what now?_

_Back at the camp… _

Frostpaw ducked an oncoming warrior. The stupid cat missed completely and sailed into a thicket of thorns. _Hee hee, stupid. _A mouth lunged for his neck, and he danced back, practically crowing in delight.

"Missed me, missed me, now you've gotta kiss me!" The attacker, a she cat, raised her head to show an ugly face. "Gross. Never mind. You couldn't pay me to kiss you."

"You impudent little piece of foxdung…. I'm going to kill you!" the offended she cat howled. He chuckled and jumped out of range of her swinging claws. "What in the Dark Forest's wrong with you? I'm trying to kill you for Star Clan's sake! Take me seriously!" she cried, advancing on him. "I don't think I could ever take a hag like you seriously… Oh, nearly got me! Nice try!" the silvery tom said with sarcastic encouragement. He continued to sidestep every move she made, ice blue eyes not even blinking at her continual swipes. During the onslaught, he'd been steadily backing up, and he bumped into a mass of fur. _Dang, I hope that it's Thunder Clan. _And… none other than Fogpelt, the Shadow Clan deputy, turned to face him. The two Shadow Clan cats stalked towards him, trapping him in a corner with his back to a den.

"…. Dang..." Frostpaw muttered. "Any last words?" Fogpelt sneered.

_Back to the River Clan border…_

Skypaw turned in equal parts fear and exasperation. _Who could it possibly be now? It couldn't be Leopard or Dusk again, right? _ The rescue party turned to look at their would-be adversary, finding it to be… a single Shadow Clan apprentice.

A moment of silence passed with both sides staring at each other; one in disbelief, the other in smug pride. "I see that you are terrified beyond words by my fearsome appearance." The 'threat' was… adorable. He was tiny and had a fuzzy black coat and big yellow eyes. At his comment of their 'fear', the River Clan warriors snickered.

"Sorry kit, we don't have time to play. We need to go save Thunder Clans' sorry tails." "Hey…" Skypaw's shout of indignation was cut off by the black cat's own cry of anger. "I'm not a kit! Why does every cat think that!" he whined in a high-pitched voice. When he noticed the group looking at him strangely, he resumed his threatening persona. "I'm no kit… I'm your worst nightmare," he meowed in a creepy voice.

The rescuers were angry now. "Get out of the way! My Clan is dying right now because a stupid apprentice wants to play games!" Skypaw screeched. "I am aware of that fact. I am here to assassinate you so you don't retrieve help." "But… I already have… Ugh! Never mind!" she shoved past the black cat, pushing him back into the river. _I've already wasted too much time. _ The other rescuers thought that shoving him into the river was an appropriate response, and the group simply continued their race towards the Thunder Clan camp.

The apprentice surfaced, gasping for air. "You will all rue the day you learned the name…. blub blub… Nightpaw!" he shouted the best he could with water rushing into his mouth. _Those stupid cats…. I will rule them all. And I'll murder the gold she-cat who pushed me in. _ He tugged himself out of the river; flopping onto the bank. He lay exhausted until he saw a robin flutter down beside him. He flicked out his claws, grinning at the white scythes gleaming in the fading light. He proceeded to stab through the robin with alarming accuracy and ferocity. _Next time, it'll be their throats. Star Clan has prophesied it to be so. _Oh yes, Nightpaw was a _very _real threat.

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	17. Chapter 17

**Spyrofan: I updated!**

**Sorry for updating late, I had a very busy day! I have a question for you readers… what characters do you like most so far?**

The reinforcements crashed through the barriers Thunder Clan had hastily erected… not that they hadn't already been mostly demolished. But when they entered the camp… it was completely silent. Several bodies littered the ground along with random splatters of blood and clumps of fur. The silence was eerie.

_Where is every cat? No intruders left and not nearly enough bodies for a massacre… What's that? _The former human noticed several paw prints leading to behind the nursery. She pointed out the tracks, and the rescue party silently followed. They all knew something was very wrong.

The group turned the bend to see a cluster of Shadow Clan cats on top of the High Rock, with many Thunder Clan members below. There was complete quiet among the assembled cats.

"What's going on?" Skypaw asked. The cats of her Clan turned to her in horror.

"Now, who could possibly be disturbing the peace? Do they want our hostages to be killed?" an oddly familiar voice purred. "No…" Skypaw whispered in terror. "Oh yes, my _dear _friend Skypaw has decided to join us. How are you dearie?" Leopard asked; sugar coating her words.

"What's going on?" Brightflash demanded. "Oh, we simply took a few hostages," Leopard meowed, indicating several figures with her tail. _I see… Shadow Clan cats? And Frostpaw, Maplepaw, and Sootypelt! Crud! What the Dark Forest is going on around here?! Was this battle some sort of set up? _

"I can see that the darling child cannot get her head around what happened here. Well, honey, we informed Shadow Clan that Thunder Clan had taken one of their own prisoner. Not to mention the fact that they already lusted for Thunder Clan blood. We gave them just the excuse needed to wage war against Thunder Clan. Then, in the total chaos of battle, we took a few from each clan hostage to grab their attention. We offered them an ultimatum: they could either give us their territory and get their Clanmates back, or refuse and every cat gets slaughtered!" she finished with a maniacal glint in her eyes.

"Why are they silent?" Siltpebble questioned. "Oh, we told them we'd kill the hostages immediately if they spoke. We'll also let the rocks loose!" "What?" Brightflash asked. "The rocks!" Leopard mewed gleefully, pointing towards the top of the ravine. Dozens of boulders were being held back by a thin wood barrier. "We can easily crush the dam and then watch as the boulders raze the camp and every cat in it!"

As Leopard continued on about the joys of being smashed by rocks, Lynxtooth caught Skypaw's eye. He flicked his tail towards the bottom of the ravine. Creeping around the base of the rift was a group of cats who were unmistakably Wind Clan in the way they moved. _Excellent! If we had a distraction, it would buy the ambushers enough time to attack the cats at the rocks. But if any of us move… Leopard will kill the hostages before we can say boo!_

_Behind the High Rock…_

Nightpaw crouched, ready to wreak havoc on Thunder Clan. _They'll pay for disgracing me. Wait… are they having some stupid meeting? Typical Thunder Clan; I bet that gold cat is preaching peace to the mighty Shadow Clan warriors. I bet that if I fearlessly attacked their leader, I would be made a warrior and fill the prophecy! _

With her thoughts occupied by trying to figure out how to distract Leopard, Skypaw was discreetly looking around the camp to try and find a suitable distraction. She caught sight of a small black tail peeking out behind the High Rock. _Who's that? Oh, it's the wannabe assassin. Wait! That's perfect! _

"Oh great and glorious _leader_ of Thunder Clan," Skypaw began. _That's good enough for me, _Nightpaw thought.

"For the glory and honor of Shadow Clan!" he howled, throwing himself at the golden fanatic. "What the… Ack!" Leopard shouted; having been bowled over by the ferocious fuzzy black apprentice. "NOW!" Eaglewing yowled to the Wind clan squad. Total chaos ensued as the former foes turned around and fought against their common enemies. Skypaw turned and dashed towards the growing throng of cats, weaving in and out of the fighters. _Where's Frostpaw? Did he get away from his captors okay? _"Frostpaw! Frostpaw! Where are you?" she called, frantically searching for her friend.

"Help! Some cat, please!" Maplepaw cried out. "I'm coming!' Skypaw replied. _I can't believe they stooped to attack a medicine cat apprentice. Oh wait. Yes I can. _ The cerulean-eyed apprentice skidded to a halt. The brown and white she-cat was cornered by Dusk, and surprise surprise, Leopard. "We know you are aware of the prophecies," Leopard hissed. "I-I don't know what you're t-talking about!" Maplepaw stammered. "Don't toy with us," Leopard threatened. Maplepaw spotted Skypaw. "Skypaw! Help me, please!"

"We told you. No more messing around," Dusk snarled. The massive gray tom swiped at the medicine cat trainee's neck. Blood spattered Skypaw even though she stood shell-shocked several feet away. Maplepaw cried out and sank down to her knees. "Tell. Us." Dusk demanded. "N-no…" Maplepaw moaned softly. Leopard turned away in disgust. "Ugh, it's no use. Just kill her, Dusk," Leopard said dismissively. "With pleasure," the tom meowed with sick pleasure in his voice. He lifted a paw, slowly switching out his claws. "Now, which one is going to end your life? Middle? First? Third? Or maybe I should just rip your throat out with my teeth…" he mused. _I-I've gotta go save her… But the way he so easily slashed her…, I thought I already conquered this fear. _ She took a look at Maplepaw's ripped neck. _Blood's dripping out… All crimson and gooey… I… I must go help. _ Feeling rushed back into her body. She realized that she was bounding towards the doomed she-cat. _I guess my warrior training took over. _

She lunged at the huge gray cat, scraping her claws over his shoulders; drawing blood. "You!" Dusk howled. "You'll pay for killing Coyote! He was my trainee!" "Pretty crappy trainee if he couldn't stop himself from going over a cliff in the first two seconds of a battle," she snarled. Dusk roared in anger and pain as she swiped at his muzzle and then turned to draw him away from the defenseless Maplepaw. As she left the scene of her righteous anger, her battle lust turned to fear. _What was I thinking? At least I saved Maplepaw. _ She twisted and turned through the fighting cats. She tried to turn around a corner and… _Oh crud. _She twisted her leg, slamming into the ground.

Dusk bore down onto her. "I AM GOING TO RIP THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND FEAST UPON YOU UNTILL THERE IS ONLY BONES LEFT!" he roared, raising the curved white scythe that was his claw. He swiped down. She rolled out of the way. He had put too much force into the swing, and could not adjust for her movement. She hastily got up and scrambled away, dragging her limp leg behind her. She glanced back at her pursuer. His claw had gotten stuck dug a deep trench into the earth where her head would have been.

_Run. Just run. I'll head for the top of the ravine. _ She made her way up the steep trail as quickly as she could; which was not very fast at all with a twisted leg. _I know he's coming. I can't keep running with this injury, and if I try to fight Dusk he will demolish me. _She spotted the dam of rocks trapped behind the fragile wooden barrier. _That's perfect! I wonder how cats created a wooden barrier. Ah well, one of the many mysteries of this world. Huh, it's funny how I'm focusing on the silly little details when my very life is in danger. Dang, I see him coming up the ravine! I need to hurry! _

She spied a large stick leftover from the building of the dam and decided that she would use it to pry open the wall of branches. _I need to open only a small segment of the dam, or else all the rocks will come crashing down and destroy every cat; friend or foe. _ Dusk was beginning the scramble up the steep hill. _Wait for it… He's almost there. He's so filled with rage that he hasn't noticed what I plan to do. _Dusk was onto the final stretch of the steep trail. _I need to start pulling the dam apart so I'm ready. _She frantically ran to her chosen spot and began wrenching the branches apart with her stick. _Oh no, he's almost to the ideal spot! _ If it was possible to go even faster than she already was, she did. _Almost… Got it! _

She leaped out of the way of the controlled landslide. Dusk was not so lucky. He didn't notice the falling rocks until they were practically on top of him, and by then it was too late. The boulders tumbled onto his body, crushing bones, and he let out a terrible screech that reverberated through the ravine into the camp. The clans stopped their fighting to figure out what just happened. Leopard and her crew realized it much more quickly that their best fighter was most certainly dead; squished beneath the rocks. "Retreat!" she yowled. The group of rouges dashed out of the camp; heading towards the mountains to the west. "We'll be back," leopard promised, glaring at the Clans before continuing her retreat.

There was total silence. And then the clans exploded with cheers. Eaglewing actually ran up the slope and carried her into the camp, singing her praises.

"We chased them out!" the deputy cried gleefully. After a few minutes of oblivious celebration the warriors remembered that many were wounded and that they had enemy clans in their camp. The other clans left, every cat somber in the face of this new threat.

"Before we need to focus on the problem of the rouges, let us honor our brave warriors tonight, and those who died," he added with a glance at Skypaw. The Thunder Clan medicine cats got to work, and once the wounds were dressed Redstar asked to speak with some of the apprentices.

"You all were magnificent today," Redstar praised, eyes shining. The apprentices smiled and bowed their heads. "There will be several warrior ceremonies in the next moon or two," Redstar said, obviously trying to drop a hint. The apprentices were practically crowing with glee when Redstar dismissed him.

"Skypaw. Falconpaw. Lionpaw," Redstar called once the others had left. "You three were exceptional today. Lionpaw, I was amazed with your battle skills. You even managed to defeat Fogpelt!" Skypaw's eyes widened in surprise. _It must have happened while I was fetching help. _ "Falconpaw… without you getting help so quickly, I doubt we would have driven them out. Not to mention how well you battled too." Falconpaw smiled and ducked his head bashfully. "And Skypaw. Oh, how you gave us a fright with your avalanche and sneaky little tricks! Well done, all!" he cried happily, shooing them out of his den.

"Wait, Redstar. What about Darkmoon? Will he be reinstated into Thunder Clan?" Skypaw asked, suddenly remembering the whole reason this started. "Yes. This attack proved that the rouges were behind the murders, and he assisted in the battle. He will be readmitted with full honors." She smiled and went to her nest. _Everything went fine. Dusk is dead, Leopard and the rest of the rouges are gone for now… but how does Dawn fit into this? And the prophecies? _

_In the brambles surrounding Thunder Clan…_

"Owww…" Nightpaw moaned as he finally wrenched himself free of the thorns. "Ugh… I should not have attacked that she-cat… bleh. I'm not assassinating any cat tonight. I'm going home. I'll kill 'em tomorrow," he yawned, lumbering his way out of the camp.

_At the avalanche site….._

_That she-cat… she will pay for what she has done to me. Once I recover of course, _Dusk thought as he dragged himself away from the rocks which had _nearly _killed him. _It takes a lot more than a couple of rocks to kill Dusk._

**In case you have forgotten my earlier question because of the long chapter, I'll say it again: what character(s) do you like most so far? Review!**


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